Q. With reference to various Parliamentary functionaries, consider the following statements:
1. The Leader of the House in Lok Sabha always means the Prime Minister.
2. The Constitution provides that the responsibility of the Chief Whip of a political party is to ensure discipline among the party members.
3. A detailed procedure is provided in the Constitution for the selection of ‘Leader of Opposition’ in the houses of Parliament.
How many statements given above are correct?
Exp) Option d is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is incorrect. The position of Leader of the House in Lok Sabha is the Prime Minister by default, if the PM is a member of the LS. He can also be a minister nominated by the Prime Minister, if the Prime Minister is not a member of the Lok Sabha.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The responsibility of the Chief Whip of a political party is to ensure discipline among the party members. However, it is not mentioned in the Constitution. The concept of the whip was inherited from colonial British rule. It is used in parliamentary parlance often for floor management by political parties in the legislature. The office of ‘whip’ is mentioned neither in the Constitution of India nor in the Rules of the House nor in a Parliamentary Statute. It is based on the conventions of the parliamentary government. The whip plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of business on the floor of the House.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The Constitution does not provide for a detailed procedure for the selection of ‘Leader of Opposition’ in the houses of Parliament. The leader of the opposition is one of the key parliamentary functionaries whose role, though not defined in any rule, is of great importance in the functioning of a legislature. He or she is invariably a senior leader representing the main opposition party in the legislature.
