Who is recognised as the leader of the Opposition?
In each House of Parliament, there is the ‘Leader of the Opposition’. The leader of the largest Opposition party having not less than one-tenth seats of the total strength of the House is recognised as the leader of the Opposition in that House.
What are the role and functions of the leader of opposition?
In a parliamentary system of government, the leader of the opposition has a significant role to play. His main functions are to provide a constructive criticism of the policies of the government and to provide an alternative government.
When was the leader of Opposition accorded statutory recognition?
The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were accorded statutory recognition in 1977.
What is the salary and allowances of the leader of Opposition?
The leader of Opposition are entitled to the salary, allowances and other facilities equivalent to that of a cabinet minister.
When was leader of the Opposition recognised for the first time officially?
First Lok Sabha of independent India did not had a recognized “Leader of Opposition” due to lack of any opposition party having 10% seats.
It was in 1969 that an official leader of the opposition was recognised for the first time. First time Lok Sabha got recognized “Leader of Opposition” in 1969 in the form of Ram Subhag Singh from INC(O).
What is leader of the Opposition in USA called as?
The leader of Opposition in USA is known as the ‘minority leader’.
What is ‘Shadow Cabinet’ in British political system?
The British political system has an unique institution called the ‘Shadow Cabinet’. It is formed by the Opposition party to balance the ruling cabinet and to prepare its members for future ministerial offices.
In this shadow cabinet, almost every member in the ruling cabinet is ‘shadowed’ by a corresponding member in the opposition cabinet. This shadow cabinet serves as the ‘alternate cabinet’ if there is change of government.
That is why Ivor Jennings described the leader of Opposition as the ‘alternative Prime Minister’. He enjoys the status of a minister and is paid by the government.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . Consider the following statements: UPSC 2018
1 . In the first Lok Sabha, the single largest party in the opposition was the Swatantra Party.
2 . In the Lok Sabha, a “Leader of the Opposition” was recognised for the first time in 1969.
3 . In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not have a minimum of 75 members, its leader cannot be recognised as the Leader of Opposition.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a . 1 and 3 only
b . 2 only
c . 2 and 3 only
d . 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) Statement 1 is not correct: The Congress party won 364 of the 489 seats in the first Lok Sabha. The Communist Party of India that came next in terms of seats won only 16 seats. Statement 2 is correct: In 1969, an official leader of opposition was recognised for the first time. However, it was given statutory recognition in 1977. Statement 3 is not correct: The leader of the largest Opposition party having not less than onetenth seats of the total strength of the House is recognised as the leader of Opposition in that House.