Amid trading of barbs between main
opposition Congress and the government over the post of Leader of
Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahahan today said a strong
opposition was more important than LoP. On ruling through ordinances,
she said it would be better if they were lesser in number. "What is the
meaning of Leader of the Opposition. Instead of LoP, a strong
opposition is more important. A strong opposition is one which raises
its issues effectively. It is not necessary that a strong opposition has
a leader," she said. Mahajan was addressing mediapersons at the end of
the 77th Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies here.
The Speaker's comments came against the backdrop of Congress having only
44 members in the Lok Sabha. Though it is the second largest party
after BJP (282 members), it still falls short of the 55 members — 10 per
cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha — needed for staking claim
to the post. Mahajan has earlier cited precedents of 1980 and 1984,
when there was no recognised Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. The
Congress happened to be in power then.
Legendary playback singer Manna Dey, who mesmerised generations of listeners with his inimitable voice for over five decades with hits like 'ay mere pyara watan', 'laaga chunri me daag' and 'poocho na kaise', died at a hospital here today at the age of 94 after prolonged illness. Dey, who was in and out of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in the last five months for respiratory and renal problems, died of cardiac arrest with his daughter Shumita Deb and son-in-law Jnanranjan Deb by his bedside when the end came at 3.50 AM. The condition of Dey, who had made Bangalore his home for the last many years, deteriorated since yesterday afternoon, hospital spokesman Vasuki said. With the demise of Dey, the void has become complete in the famous quartet of singers Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar, who dominated the Hindi music industry from 1950s to 1970s. The mortal remains of Dey, whose unique voice lent a rare dimension to his persona, were cremate...
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