Kozhikode (Kerala) | Senior CPI(M) leader and LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan on Tuesday said there would be no delay in deciding the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, unlike the ongoing uncertainty in the Congress-led UDF over the chief ministerial post.
He said the CPI(M) Politburo has entrusted the party's state unit with taking a final decision on the issue.
"There is no dispute regarding the selection of the Opposition leader. There is no chance of it getting prolonged or becoming a contentious issue. The CPI(M) will take a decision at the earliest," Ramakrishnan told the media here.
Taking a swipe at the Congress, he said criticism would have been justified had the chief minister been decided and the Opposition leader's post remained unresolved.
"The LDF has no difficulty in deciding the Opposition leader," he said.
On reports that the CPI, the second-largest constituent in the LDF, has staked claim to the Deputy Leader of Opposition post, Ramakrishnan said there was precedent for the CPI(M) holding both positions in the past.
He cited the example of late CPI(M) leaders V S Achuthanandan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who had served as Leader of Opposition and Deputy Leader of Opposition respectively in the Assembly.
Referring to CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam's reported open letter on the matter, Ramakrishnan said such issues should be resolved through internal discussions within the front.
"I read about the open letter by Viswam. These are matters that should be discussed within the front, and I do not think raising them publicly is the right approach," he said.
He also clarified that the LDF was yet to take a final decision on both the Leader of Opposition and Deputy Leader of Opposition posts in the new Assembly.
In the April 9 Assembly elections, the Congress-led UDF returned to power with a decisive mandate, defeating the ruling LDF after two consecutive terms in office. The LDF, led by the CPI(M), emerged as the principal opposition alliance in Kerala.
