Outgoing speaker writes to guv, justifies decision on Oppn leader

A day after Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik questioned the decision of outgoing state assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey to recognise the Samajwadi Party’s Ram Govind Chaudhary as the leader of opposition, Pandey issued a rebuttal justifying his move.

In his letter to Naik on Wednesday, Pandey cited two similar decisions taken by outgoing assembly speaker in 2007 and 2012 as precedents in support of his move to appoint Chaudhary as the leader of opposition.

The Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) secretariat issued a notification on Monday, saying that Chaudhary had been made leader of opposition of the 17th Uttar Pradesh assembly.

Objecting to the appointment, the governor had said it was against 'Constitutional propriety' and established norms. He had also raised a question that why a tradition followed by all the states was not maintained here in UP. It is also not clear in the notification (appointing the LoP) issued in this regard on Monday as to “what constitutional void, crisis or unconstitutionality would have arisen” if the matter was left to the Speaker of the new house, said a release issued from the Raj Bhawan. The former speaker said similar decisions were taken by his two predecessors in 2007 and 2012 and as such there was nothing improper or unconstitutional in what he had done. “The speaker continues to hold office and discharge his functions even after the assembly is dissolved till the first sitting of the newly elected legislature. He demits his office only after the new speaker is chosen and takes charge of his office,” said Pandey. He said this procedure was laid down in Article 179 Section (A) of the Indian Constitution.