Zee Media Bureau/Tarun Khanna
New Delhi: Reacting to Congress` threat to go to court if Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan`s decision went against it on LoP issue, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday that anyone in the country can approach the judiciary.
Prasad`s reaction came after reports speculated that Congress president Sonia Gandhi met President Pranab Mukherjee today to appeal him to intervene in the matter of appointment of LS LoP.
As far as Congress going to court is concerned, anyone can go to court- Ravi Shankar Prasad on LoP issue pic.twitter.com/vkABGX3JFJ
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 8, 2014
The senior BJP leader also made it clear that the decision on the appointment of LoP will be solely taken by the Speaker.
Furthermore, he logically reasoned the need of changing the 60-year-old procedure for the appointment of LoP.
“As per the rules, LoP is chosen from the party which has 10 percent of the elected members out of the total strength of the parliament. This has been the rule for the last 60 years and there should be a strong reason to change it,” said Prasad.
The UPA chairperson had yesterday raised a strong pitch against the silence of Narendra Modi-led NDA government on the subject.
She had also held a meeting with party MPs in Lok Sabha yesterday. The meeting was held after UPA MPs decided to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan seeking an immediate decision on the issue.
