jbp123/hello · Datasets at Hugging Face

instruction stringlengths 1 84	input stringlengths 1 85	output stringlengths 1 83
spokesman of the House, and his decision in all Parliamentary	matters is final. He is thus much more than merely the presiding	officer of the Lok Sabha. In these capacities, he is vested with
vast, varied and vital responsibilities and enjoys great honour,	high dignity and supreme authority within the House.	The Speaker of the Lok Sabha derives his powers and duties
from three sources, that is, the Constitution of India, the Rules of	Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and	Parliamentary Conventions (residuary powers that are unwritten
or unspecified in the Rules). Altogether, he has the following	powers and duties:	1. He maintains order and decorum in the House for
conducting its business and regulating its proceedings. This	is his primary responsibility and he has final power in this	regard.
2. He is the final interpreter of the provisions of (a) the	Constitution of India, (b) the Rules of Procedure and	Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and (c) the
parliamentary precedents, within the House.	3. He adjourns the House or suspends the meeting in absence	of a quorum. The quorum to constitute a meeting of the
House is one-tenth of the total strength of the House.	4. He does not vote in the first instance. But he can exercise a	casting vote in the case of a tie. In other words, only when
the House is divided equally on any question, the Speaker is	entitled to vote. Such vote is called casting vote, and its	purpose is to resolve a deadlock.
5. He presides over a joint setting of the two Houses of	Parliament. Such a sitting is summoned by the President to	settle a deadlock between the two Houses on a bill.
6. He can allow a ‘secret’ sitting of the House at the request of	the Leader of the House. When the House sits in secret, no	stranger can be present in the chamber, lobby or galleries
except with the permission of the Speaker.	7. He decides whether a bill is a money bill or not and his	decision on this question is final. When a money bill is
presented to the President for assent, the Speaker endorses	on the bill his certificate that it is a money bill.	8. He decides the questions of disqualification of a member of
the Lok Sabha, arising on the ground of defection under the	provisions of the Tenth Schedule. In 1992, the Supreme	Court ruled that the decision of the Speaker in this regard is
subject to judicial review10 .	9. He acts as the ex-officio chairman of the Indian	Parliamentary Group which is a link between the Parliament
of India and the various parliaments of the world. He also	acts as the ex-officio chairman of the conference of	presiding officers of legislative bodies in the country.
10. He appoints the chairman of all the parliamentary	committees of the Lok Sabha and supervises their	functioning. He himself is the chairman of the Business
Advisory Committee, the Rules Committee and the General	Purpose Committee.	Independence and Impartiality
As the office of the Speaker is vested with great prestige, position	and authority, independence and impartiality becomes its sine qua	non11 .
The following provisions ensure the independence and	impartiality of the office of the Speaker:	1. He is provided with a security of tenure. He can be removed
only by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha by a special	majority (ie, a majority of all the then members of the House)	and not by an ordinary majority (ie, a majority of the
members present and voting in the House). This motion of	removal can be considered and discussed only when it has	the support of at least 50 members.
2. His salaries and allowances are fixed by Parliament. They	are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India and thus are	not subject to the annual vote of Parliament.
3. His work and conduct cannot be discussed and criticised in	the Lok Sabha except on a substantive motion.	4. His powers of regulating procedure or conducting business
jurisdiction of any Court.	5. He cannot vote in the first instance. He can only exercise a	casting vote in the event of a tie. This makes the position of
Speaker impartial.	6. He is given a very high position in the order of precedence.	He is placed at seventh rank, along with the Chief Justice of
India. This means, he has a higher rank than all cabinet	ministers, except the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime	Minister.
In Britain, the Speaker is strictly a nonparty man. There is a	convention that the Speaker has to resign from his party and	remain politically neutral. This healthy convention is not fully
established in India where the Speaker does not resign from the	membership of his party on his election to the exalted office.	Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker is also elected by the Lok	Sabha itself from amongst its members. He is elected after the	election of the Speaker has taken place. The date of election of
the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the Speaker. Whenever the office	of the Deputy Speaker falls vacant, the Lok Sabha elects another	member to fill the vacancy.
Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker remains in office usually	during the life of the Lok Sabha. However, he may vacate his	office earlier in any of the following three cases:
1. if he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha;	2. if he resigns by writing to the Speaker; and	3. if he is removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all
the then members of the Lok Sabha. Such a resolution can	be moved only after giving 14 days’ advance notice.	The Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker’s office
when it is vacant. He also acts as the Speaker when the latter is	absent from the sitting of the House. In both the cases, he	assumes all the powers of the Speaker. He also presides over the
joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament, in case the Speaker	is absent from such a sitting.	It should be noted here that the Deputy Speaker is not
House.	The Deputy Speaker has one special privilege, that is,	whenever he is appointed as a member of a parliamentary
committee, he automatically becomes its chairman.	Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, while presiding over the	House, cannot vote in the first instance; he can only exercise a
casting vote in the case of a tie. Further, when a resolution for the	removal of the Deputy Speaker is under consideration of the	House, he cannot preside at the sitting of the House, though he
may be present.	When the Speaker presides over the House, the Deputy	Speaker is like any other ordinary member of the House. He can
speak in the House, participate in its proceedings and vote on any	question before the House.	The Deputy Speaker is entitled to a regular salary and
allowance fixed by Parliament, and charged on the Consolidated	Fund of India.	Upto the 10th Lok Sabha, both the Speaker and the Deputy
Speaker were usually from the ruling party. Since the 11th Lok	Sabha, there has been a consensus that the Speaker comes from	the ruling party (or ruling alliance) and the post of Deputy Speaker
goes to the main opposition party.	The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, while assuming their	offices, do not make and subscribe any separate oath or
affirmation.	The institutions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker originated in	India in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act
of 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms). At that time, the	Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were called the President and	Deputy President respectively and the same nomenclature
continued till 1947. Before 1921, the Governor-General of India	used to preside over the meetings of the Central Legislative	Council. In 1921, the Frederick Whyte and Sachidanand Sinha
were appointed by the Governor-General of India as the first	Speaker and the first Deputy Speaker (respectively) of the central	legislative assembly. In 1925, Vithalbhai J. Patel became the first
nomenclatures of President and Deputy President of the Central	Legislative Assembly to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker	respectively. However, the old nomenclature continued till 1947 as
the federal part of the 1935 Act was not implemented. G.V.	Mavalankar and Ananthasayanam Ayyangar had the distinction of	being the first Speaker and the first Deputy Speaker (respectively)
of the Lok Sabha. G.V. Mavalankar also held the post of Speaker	in the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) as well as the	provisional Parliament. He held the post of Speaker of Lok Sabha
continuously for one decade from 1946 to 1956.	Panel of Chairpersons of Lok Sabha	Under the Rules of Lok Sabha, the Speaker nominates from
amongst the members a panel of not more than ten chairpersons.	Any of them can preside over the House in the absence of the	Speaker or the Deputy Speaker. He has the same powers as the
Speaker when so presiding. He holds office until a new panel of	chairpersons is nominated. When a member of the panel of	chairpersons is also not present, any other person as determined
by House acts as the Speaker.	It must be emphasised here that a member of the panel of	chairpersons cannot preside over the House, when the office of
the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker is vacant. During such time,	the Speaker’s duties are to be performed by such member of the	House as the President may appoint for the purpose. The
elections are held, as soon as possible, to fill the vacant posts.	Speaker Pro Tem	As provided by the Constitution, the Speaker of the last Lok
Sabha vacates his office immediately before the first meeting of	the newly-elected Lok Sabha. Therefore, the President appoints a	member of the Lok Sabha as the Speaker Pro Tem. Usually, the
seniormost member is selected for this. The President himself	administers oath to the Speaker Pro Tem.	The Speaker Pro Tem has all the powers of the Speaker. He
main duty is to administer oath to the new members. He also	enables the House to elect the new Speaker.	When the new Speaker is elected by the House, the office of
the Speaker Pro Tem ceases to exist. Hence, this office is a	temporary office, existing for a few days12 .	Chairman of Rajya Sabha
The presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha is known as the	Chairman. The vice-president of India is the ex-officio Chairman of	the Rajya Sabha. During any period when the VicePresident acts
as President or discharges the functions of the President, he does	not perform the duties of the office of the Chairman of Rajya	Sabha.
The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha can be removed from his	office only if he is removed from the office of the Vice-President.	As a presiding officer, the powers and functions of the Chairman
in the Rajya Sabha are similar to those of the Speaker in the Lok	Sabha. However, the Speaker has two special powers which are	not enjoyed by the Chairman:
1. The Speaker decides whether a bill is a money bill or not	and his decision on this question is final.	2. The Speaker presides over a joint sitting of two Houses of
Parliament.	Unlike the Speaker (who is a member of the House), the	Chairman is not a member of the House. But like the Speaker, the
Chairman also cannot vote in the first instance. He too can cast a	vote in the case of an equality of votes.	The Vice-President cannot preside over a sitting of the Rajya
Sabha as its Chairman when a resolution for his removal is under	consideration. However, he can be present and speak in the	House and can take part in its proceedings, without voting, even
at such a time (while the Speaker can vote in the first instance	when a resolution for his removal is under consideration of the	Lok Sabha).
As in case of the Speaker, the salaries and allowances of the	Chairman are also fixed by the Parliament. They are charged on	the Consolidated Fund of India and thus are not subject to the
During any period when the Vice-President acts as President or	discharges the functions of the President, he is not entitled to any	salary or allowance payable to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
But he is paid the salary and allowance of the President during	such a time.	Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha
The Deputy Chairman is elected by the Rajya Sabha itself from	amongst its members. Whenever the office of the Deputy	Chairman falls vacant, the Rajya Sabha elects another member to
fill the vacancy.	The Deputy Chairman vacates his office in any of the following	three cases:
1. if he ceases to be a member of the Rajya Sabha;	2. if he resigns by writing to the Chairman; and	3. if he is removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all
the then members of the Rajya Sabha. Such a resolution	can be moved only after giving 14 days’ advance notice.	The Deputy Chairman performs the duties of the Chairman’s
office when it is vacant or when the Vice-President acts as	President or discharges the functions of the President. He also	acts as the Chairman when the latter is absent from the sitting of
the House. In both the cases, he has all the powers of the	Chairman.	It should be emphasised here that the Deputy Chairman is not
subordinate to the Chairman. He is directly responsible to the	Rajya Sabha.	Like the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, while presiding over
the House, cannot vote in the first instance; he can only exercise	a casting vote in the case of a tie. Further, when a resolution for	the removal of the Deputy Chairman is under consideration of the
House, he cannot preside over a sitting of the House, though he	may be present.	When the Chairman presides over the House, the Deputy
Chairman is like any other ordinary member of the House. He can	speak in the House, participate in its proceedings and vote on any	question before the House.
Like the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman is also entitled to a	regular salary and allowance. They are fixed by Parliament and	are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.
Panel of Vice-Chairpersons of Rajya Sabha	Under the Rules of Rajya Sabha, the Chairman nominates from	amongst the members a panel of vice-chairpersons. Any one of
them can preside over the House in the absence of the Chairman	or the Deputy Chairman. He has the same powers as the	Chairman when so presiding. He holds office until a new panel of
vice-chairpersons is nominated.	When a member of the panel of vicechairpersons is also not	present, any other person as determined by the House acts as the
Chairman.	It must be emphasised here that a member of the panel of vice-	chairpersons cannot preside over the House, when the office of
the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman is vacant. During such	time, the Chairman’s duties are to be performed by such member	of the House as the president may appoint for the purpose. The
elections are held, as soon as possible, to fill the vacant posts.	Secretariat of Parliament	Each House of Parliament has separate secretarial staff of its
own, though there can be some posts common to both the	Houses. Their recruitment and service conditions are regulated by	Parliament. The secretariat of each House is headed by a
LEADERS IN PARLIAMENT	Leader of the House	Under the Rules of Lok Sabha, the ‘Leader of the House’ means
the prime minister, if he is a member of the Lok Sabha, or a	minister who is a member of the Lok Sabha and is nominated by	the prime minister to function as the Leader of the House. There is
also a ‘Leader of the House’ in the Rajya Sabha. He is a minister	and a member of the Rajya Sabha and is nominated by the prime	minister to function as such. The leader of the house in either
House is an important functionary and exercises direct influence	on the conduct of business. He can also nominate a deputy leader	of the House. The same functionary in USA is known as the
‘majority leader’.	Leader of the Opposition	In each House of Parliament, there is the ‘Leader of the
Opposition’. The leader of the largest Opposition party having not	less than one-tenth seats of the total strength of the House is	recognised as the leader of the Opposition in that House. In a
parliamentary system of government, the leader of the opposition	has a significant role to play. His main functions are to provide a	constructive criticism of the policies of the government and to
provide an alternative government. Therefore, the leader of	Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were accorded	statutory recognition in 1977. They are also entitled to the salary,
allowances and other facilities equivalent to that of a cabinet	minister. It was in 1969 that an official leader of the opposition was	recognised for the first time. The same functionary in USA is

spokesman of the House, and his decision in all Parliamentary

matters is final. He is thus much more than merely the presiding

officer of the Lok Sabha. In these capacities, he is vested with

vast, varied and vital responsibilities and enjoys great honour,

high dignity and supreme authority within the House.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha derives his powers and duties

from three sources, that is, the Constitution of India, the Rules of

Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and

Parliamentary Conventions (residuary powers that are unwritten

or unspecified in the Rules). Altogether, he has the following

powers and duties:

1. He maintains order and decorum in the House for

conducting its business and regulating its proceedings. This

is his primary responsibility and he has final power in this

regard.

2. He is the final interpreter of the provisions of (a) the

Constitution of India, (b) the Rules of Procedure and

Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and (c) the

parliamentary precedents, within the House.

3. He adjourns the House or suspends the meeting in absence

of a quorum. The quorum to constitute a meeting of the

House is one-tenth of the total strength of the House.

4. He does not vote in the first instance. But he can exercise a

casting vote in the case of a tie. In other words, only when

the House is divided equally on any question, the Speaker is

entitled to vote. Such vote is called casting vote, and its

purpose is to resolve a deadlock.

5. He presides over a joint setting of the two Houses of

Parliament. Such a sitting is summoned by the President to

settle a deadlock between the two Houses on a bill.

6. He can allow a ‘secret’ sitting of the House at the request of

the Leader of the House. When the House sits in secret, no

stranger can be present in the chamber, lobby or galleries

except with the permission of the Speaker.

7. He decides whether a bill is a money bill or not and his

decision on this question is final. When a money bill is

presented to the President for assent, the Speaker endorses

on the bill his certificate that it is a money bill.

8. He decides the questions of disqualification of a member of

the Lok Sabha, arising on the ground of defection under the

provisions of the Tenth Schedule. In 1992, the Supreme

Court ruled that the decision of the Speaker in this regard is

subject to judicial review10 .

9. He acts as the ex-officio chairman of the Indian

Parliamentary Group which is a link between the Parliament

of India and the various parliaments of the world. He also

acts as the ex-officio chairman of the conference of

presiding officers of legislative bodies in the country.

10. He appoints the chairman of all the parliamentary

committees of the Lok Sabha and supervises their

functioning. He himself is the chairman of the Business

Advisory Committee, the Rules Committee and the General

Purpose Committee.

Independence and Impartiality

As the office of the Speaker is vested with great prestige, position

and authority, independence and impartiality becomes its sine qua

non11 .

The following provisions ensure the independence and

impartiality of the office of the Speaker:

1. He is provided with a security of tenure. He can be removed

only by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha by a special

majority (ie, a majority of all the then members of the House)

and not by an ordinary majority (ie, a majority of the

members present and voting in the House). This motion of

removal can be considered and discussed only when it has

the support of at least 50 members.

2. His salaries and allowances are fixed by Parliament. They

are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India and thus are

not subject to the annual vote of Parliament.

3. His work and conduct cannot be discussed and criticised in

the Lok Sabha except on a substantive motion.

4. His powers of regulating procedure or conducting business

jurisdiction of any Court.

5. He cannot vote in the first instance. He can only exercise a

casting vote in the event of a tie. This makes the position of

Speaker impartial.

6. He is given a very high position in the order of precedence.

He is placed at seventh rank, along with the Chief Justice of

India. This means, he has a higher rank than all cabinet

ministers, except the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime

Minister.

In Britain, the Speaker is strictly a nonparty man. There is a

convention that the Speaker has to resign from his party and

remain politically neutral. This healthy convention is not fully

established in India where the Speaker does not resign from the

membership of his party on his election to the exalted office.

Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha

Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker is also elected by the Lok

Sabha itself from amongst its members. He is elected after the

election of the Speaker has taken place. The date of election of

the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the Speaker. Whenever the office

of the Deputy Speaker falls vacant, the Lok Sabha elects another

member to fill the vacancy.

Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker remains in office usually

during the life of the Lok Sabha. However, he may vacate his

office earlier in any of the following three cases:

1. if he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha;

2. if he resigns by writing to the Speaker; and

3. if he is removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all

the then members of the Lok Sabha. Such a resolution can

be moved only after giving 14 days’ advance notice.

The Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker’s office

when it is vacant. He also acts as the Speaker when the latter is

absent from the sitting of the House. In both the cases, he

assumes all the powers of the Speaker. He also presides over the

joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament, in case the Speaker

is absent from such a sitting.

It should be noted here that the Deputy Speaker is not

House.

The Deputy Speaker has one special privilege, that is,

whenever he is appointed as a member of a parliamentary

committee, he automatically becomes its chairman.

Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, while presiding over the

House, cannot vote in the first instance; he can only exercise a

casting vote in the case of a tie. Further, when a resolution for the

removal of the Deputy Speaker is under consideration of the

House, he cannot preside at the sitting of the House, though he

may be present.

When the Speaker presides over the House, the Deputy

Speaker is like any other ordinary member of the House. He can

speak in the House, participate in its proceedings and vote on any

question before the House.

The Deputy Speaker is entitled to a regular salary and

allowance fixed by Parliament, and charged on the Consolidated

Fund of India.

Upto the 10th Lok Sabha, both the Speaker and the Deputy

Speaker were usually from the ruling party. Since the 11th Lok

Sabha, there has been a consensus that the Speaker comes from

the ruling party (or ruling alliance) and the post of Deputy Speaker

goes to the main opposition party.

The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, while assuming their

offices, do not make and subscribe any separate oath or

affirmation.

The institutions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker originated in

India in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act

of 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms). At that time, the

Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were called the President and

Deputy President respectively and the same nomenclature

continued till 1947. Before 1921, the Governor-General of India

used to preside over the meetings of the Central Legislative

Council. In 1921, the Frederick Whyte and Sachidanand Sinha

were appointed by the Governor-General of India as the first

Speaker and the first Deputy Speaker (respectively) of the central

legislative assembly. In 1925, Vithalbhai J. Patel became the first

nomenclatures of President and Deputy President of the Central

Legislative Assembly to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker

respectively. However, the old nomenclature continued till 1947 as

the federal part of the 1935 Act was not implemented. G.V.

Mavalankar and Ananthasayanam Ayyangar had the distinction of

being the first Speaker and the first Deputy Speaker (respectively)

of the Lok Sabha. G.V. Mavalankar also held the post of Speaker

in the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) as well as the

provisional Parliament. He held the post of Speaker of Lok Sabha

continuously for one decade from 1946 to 1956.

Panel of Chairpersons of Lok Sabha

Under the Rules of Lok Sabha, the Speaker nominates from

amongst the members a panel of not more than ten chairpersons.

Any of them can preside over the House in the absence of the

Speaker or the Deputy Speaker. He has the same powers as the

Speaker when so presiding. He holds office until a new panel of

chairpersons is nominated. When a member of the panel of

chairpersons is also not present, any other person as determined

by House acts as the Speaker.

It must be emphasised here that a member of the panel of

chairpersons cannot preside over the House, when the office of

the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker is vacant. During such time,

the Speaker’s duties are to be performed by such member of the

House as the President may appoint for the purpose. The

elections are held, as soon as possible, to fill the vacant posts.

Speaker Pro Tem

As provided by the Constitution, the Speaker of the last Lok

Sabha vacates his office immediately before the first meeting of

the newly-elected Lok Sabha. Therefore, the President appoints a

member of the Lok Sabha as the Speaker Pro Tem. Usually, the

seniormost member is selected for this. The President himself

administers oath to the Speaker Pro Tem.

The Speaker Pro Tem has all the powers of the Speaker. He

main duty is to administer oath to the new members. He also

enables the House to elect the new Speaker.

When the new Speaker is elected by the House, the office of

the Speaker Pro Tem ceases to exist. Hence, this office is a

temporary office, existing for a few days12 .

Chairman of Rajya Sabha

The presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha is known as the

Chairman. The vice-president of India is the ex-officio Chairman of

the Rajya Sabha. During any period when the VicePresident acts

as President or discharges the functions of the President, he does

not perform the duties of the office of the Chairman of Rajya

Sabha.

The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha can be removed from his

office only if he is removed from the office of the Vice-President.

As a presiding officer, the powers and functions of the Chairman

in the Rajya Sabha are similar to those of the Speaker in the Lok

Sabha. However, the Speaker has two special powers which are

not enjoyed by the Chairman:

1. The Speaker decides whether a bill is a money bill or not

and his decision on this question is final.

2. The Speaker presides over a joint sitting of two Houses of

Parliament.

Unlike the Speaker (who is a member of the House), the

Chairman is not a member of the House. But like the Speaker, the

Chairman also cannot vote in the first instance. He too can cast a

vote in the case of an equality of votes.

The Vice-President cannot preside over a sitting of the Rajya

Sabha as its Chairman when a resolution for his removal is under

consideration. However, he can be present and speak in the

House and can take part in its proceedings, without voting, even

at such a time (while the Speaker can vote in the first instance

when a resolution for his removal is under consideration of the

Lok Sabha).

As in case of the Speaker, the salaries and allowances of the

Chairman are also fixed by the Parliament. They are charged on

the Consolidated Fund of India and thus are not subject to the

During any period when the Vice-President acts as President or

discharges the functions of the President, he is not entitled to any

salary or allowance payable to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

But he is paid the salary and allowance of the President during

such a time.

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha

The Deputy Chairman is elected by the Rajya Sabha itself from

amongst its members. Whenever the office of the Deputy

Chairman falls vacant, the Rajya Sabha elects another member to

fill the vacancy.

The Deputy Chairman vacates his office in any of the following

three cases:

1. if he ceases to be a member of the Rajya Sabha;

2. if he resigns by writing to the Chairman; and

3. if he is removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all

the then members of the Rajya Sabha. Such a resolution

can be moved only after giving 14 days’ advance notice.

The Deputy Chairman performs the duties of the Chairman’s

office when it is vacant or when the Vice-President acts as

President or discharges the functions of the President. He also

acts as the Chairman when the latter is absent from the sitting of

the House. In both the cases, he has all the powers of the

Chairman.

It should be emphasised here that the Deputy Chairman is not

subordinate to the Chairman. He is directly responsible to the

Rajya Sabha.

Like the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, while presiding over

the House, cannot vote in the first instance; he can only exercise

a casting vote in the case of a tie. Further, when a resolution for

the removal of the Deputy Chairman is under consideration of the

House, he cannot preside over a sitting of the House, though he

may be present.

When the Chairman presides over the House, the Deputy

Chairman is like any other ordinary member of the House. He can

speak in the House, participate in its proceedings and vote on any

question before the House.

Like the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman is also entitled to a

regular salary and allowance. They are fixed by Parliament and

are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.

Panel of Vice-Chairpersons of Rajya Sabha

Under the Rules of Rajya Sabha, the Chairman nominates from

amongst the members a panel of vice-chairpersons. Any one of

them can preside over the House in the absence of the Chairman

or the Deputy Chairman. He has the same powers as the

Chairman when so presiding. He holds office until a new panel of

vice-chairpersons is nominated.

When a member of the panel of vicechairpersons is also not

present, any other person as determined by the House acts as the

Chairman.

It must be emphasised here that a member of the panel of vice-

chairpersons cannot preside over the House, when the office of

the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman is vacant. During such

time, the Chairman’s duties are to be performed by such member

of the House as the president may appoint for the purpose. The

elections are held, as soon as possible, to fill the vacant posts.

Secretariat of Parliament

Each House of Parliament has separate secretarial staff of its

own, though there can be some posts common to both the

Houses. Their recruitment and service conditions are regulated by

Parliament. The secretariat of each House is headed by a

LEADERS IN PARLIAMENT

Leader of the House

Under the Rules of Lok Sabha, the ‘Leader of the House’ means

the prime minister, if he is a member of the Lok Sabha, or a

minister who is a member of the Lok Sabha and is nominated by

the prime minister to function as the Leader of the House. There is

also a ‘Leader of the House’ in the Rajya Sabha. He is a minister

and a member of the Rajya Sabha and is nominated by the prime

minister to function as such. The leader of the house in either

House is an important functionary and exercises direct influence

on the conduct of business. He can also nominate a deputy leader

of the House. The same functionary in USA is known as the

‘majority leader’.

Leader of the Opposition

In each House of Parliament, there is the ‘Leader of the

Opposition’. The leader of the largest Opposition party having not

less than one-tenth seats of the total strength of the House is

recognised as the leader of the Opposition in that House. In a

parliamentary system of government, the leader of the opposition

has a significant role to play. His main functions are to provide a

constructive criticism of the policies of the government and to

provide an alternative government. Therefore, the leader of

Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were accorded

statutory recognition in 1977. They are also entitled to the salary,

allowances and other facilities equivalent to that of a cabinet

minister. It was in 1969 that an official leader of the opposition was

recognised for the first time. The same functionary in USA is