Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha

Created by Delinker
Last edited July 25, 2023

Template:EngvarB

Template:More citations needed

Template:Infobox Political post The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha (IAST: Template:Lang) is an elected Member of Rajya Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government.

History

In the Rajya Sabha until 1969, the title of opposition leader only existed de facto and had no formal recognition, status or privilege. Later, the leader of the opposition was given official recognition and their salary and allowances was extended by the Act, 1977. Since then, the leader in the Rajya Sabha should satisfy three conditions, namely,

  1. he should be a member of the House
  2. of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and
  3. be recognised by the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha

In December 1969, the Congress Party (O) was recognised as the main opposition party in the parliament while its leader, Shyam Nandan Mishra plays the role of opposition leader. M. S. Gurupadaswamy was later elected the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha after Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra completed his tenure. However, Gurupadaswamy's appointment was declared with no formal announcement.

Role and Responsibilities

Template:Further The Leader of Opposition (LoP) looks at government policies formulated for the rights of minorities and demands debate and criticises the government if ruling party tries to avoid debates on such policy. LoP also debates on the country's foreign relations and trade when it poses security threats on the national security.[1][2]

Privileges and salary

Opposition leaders plays a significant role in government policies and their implementation by the ruling party. Sometimes, opposition leaders questions government about the country's national security and development.[3] After the constitution of India created a separate law on 1 November 1977 for opposition leaders, the salary was extended.[4]

List of Leaders of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha

Following members have been the Leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

No. Portrait Name Term[5] Prime Minister Party
Vacant 13 May 1952 17 December 1969 Template:Ayd No Official Opposition
1 Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra 18 December 1969 11 March 1971 Template:Ayd Indira Gandhi Indian National Congress (O) rowspan="2"; bgcolor=Template:Party color|
2 M. S. Gurupadaswamy 24 March 1971 2 April 1972 Template:Ayd
Vacant 2 April 1972 30 March 1977 Template:Ayd No Official Opposition
3 Kamalapati Tripathi 30 March 1977 15 February 1978 Template:Ayd Morarji Desai Indian National Congress rowspan="3" bgcolor="Template:Party color" |
4 Bhola Paswan Shastri 24 February 1978 23 March 1978 Template:Ayd
(3) Kamalapati Tripathi 23 March 1978 8 January 1980 Template:Ayd Morarji Desai
Charan Singh
5 L. K. Advani 21 January 1980 7 April 1980 Template:Ayd Indira Gandhi Janata Party bgcolor=Template:Party color|
Vacant 7 April 1980 18 December 1989 Template:Ayd Indira Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
No Official Opposition
6 P. Shiv Shankar 18 December 1989 2 January 1991 Template:Ayd VP Singh Indian National Congress bgcolor="Template:Party color" |
(2) M. S. Gurupadaswamy 28 June 1991 21 July 1991 Template:Ayd P. V. Narasimha Rao Janata Dal rowspan="2" bgcolor="Template:Party color" ; |
7 Jaipal Reddy 22 July 1991 29 June 1992 Template:Ayd
8 Sikander Bakht 7 July 1992 16 May 1996 Template:Ayd Bharatiya Janata Party bgcolor="Template:Party color" |
9 Shankarrao Chavan 23 May 1996 1 June 1996 Template:Ayd Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian National Congress bgcolor="Template:Party color" |
(8) Sikander Bakht 1 June 1996 19 March 1998 Template:Ayd Deve Gowda
IK Gujral
Bharatiya Janata Party bgcolor="Template:Party color" |
10 Manmohan Singh 21 March 1998 22 May 2004 Template:Ayd Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian National Congress bgcolor="Template:Party color" |
11 Jaswant Singh 3 June 2004 16 May 2009 Template:Ayd Manmohan Singh Bharatiya Janata Party rowspan="2" bgcolor="Template:Party color" ; |
12 Arun Jaitley 3 June 2009 26 May 2014 Template:Ayd
13 Ghulam Nabi Azad 8 June 2014 15 February 2021 Template:Ayd Narendra Modi Indian National Congress rowspan="2" bgcolor="Template:Party color" ; |
14 Mallikarjun Kharge 16 February 2021 Incumbent Template:Ayd

See also

References

  1. Leader of Opposition: His role and responsibilities – India News. Latest News India(17 June 2019). Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. Rajya Sabha – Role of The Leader of The House, Leader of the Opposition and Whips Brief History. rajyasabha.nic.in.
  3. Why India Needs an Opposition Leader, Kumar, Sanjay. thediplomat.com.
  4. Salary and other suitable facilities are extended to them through a separate legislation brought into force on 1 November 1977
  5. FORMER OPPOSITION LEADERS OF THE HOUSE – RAJYA SABHA. rajyasabha.nic.in.

Further reading

Template:Leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha