TMC not to get leader of opposition status in Tripura assembly

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA, Sept 13: Speaker of the Tripura assembly Ramendra Chandra th has rejected the Trimool Congress demand to accord its legislative party leader Diba Chandra Hrangkhawal the status of the leader of the opposition (LoP).

In a letter to the chairman of the TMC state committee Ratan Chakraborty, the Speaker expressed his ibility to accord the leader of the opposition status to Hrangkhawal as he does not fulfill all the preconditions to get such status.

The speaker in his letter said the mandatory requirement to get such status is to have at least 10 MLA's which is the quorum to run the house. But the TMC have only six MLA's which is much lower than the minimum requirements.

Earlier Chakraborty in his letter demanded leader of the opposition status for Hrangkhawl citing some rules of the Tripura Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. But the Speaker said these rules are not related to the current issue.

th cited instance from Lok Sabha where the speaker Sumitra Mahajan refused a similar status to the Congress Parliamentary leader Mallikarjun Kharge as his party don't have the number required to command the quorum of the house.

He further said the same procedure is being followed across the country and Meghalaya is the only exception where in a special circumstance and with approval from all concern, LoP status was accorded to a party having only eight members.

Trimool Congress sharply reacted to the Speaker's decision and said 'He only followed the dictation of his CPI (M) bosses' to deprive them from their legal right.

Ratan Chakraborty and the senior MLA Sudip Roy Barman in a joint press conference said they will seek legal redress against the speaker's decision. They also will go for a campaign to apprise people about the partisan role of the speaker.

Meanwhile, the ruling Left Front appointed the CPI (M) MLA from Belonia, Basudev Majumder as Chief Whip of the front. A notification issued from the assembly said. The post fell vacant due to the death of MLA Samir Deb Sarkar who was holding the post for a long time.