CHANDIGARH: It has been four years since the formation of the present 14th Haryana Assembly. After the 13th general elections of Haryana Legislative Assembly in October, 2019, the first session of the present Legislative Assembly was called on November 4, 2019 in which the oath was first administered to all the newly elected MLAs by Pro-Tem (Acting) Speaker Dr. Raghubir Kadyan. After which BJP's Gyan Chand Gupta was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Assembly. On the same day, an announcement was made by Assembly Speaker Gupta in the House regarding recognition of Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupendra Hooda as the Leader of Opposition in the House.
However, Advocate Hemant Kumar of Punjab and Haryana High Court said that even after four years, neither the Assembly Secretariat nor the Parliamentary Affairs Department of the State Government has informed the present 30 members of the House (including the former MLA of Adampur, Kuldeep Bishnoi). 31 members before resignation) Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupendra Singh Hooda that the public notification regarding recognition as Leader of Opposition in the House has not been published in the Official Gazette of the State Government, which is necessary as per the existing rules. Now whether this happened by mistake or due to some other reason, only the concerned officials can tell in this regard.
In the last 4 years, Hooda was included as a member of the selection committee formed for appointment to many important posts as the Leader of Opposition. However, on November 4, 2019, the Secretary of the Assembly sent a letter to the Chief Secretary of the state informing him about the designation of Hooda as the Leader of Opposition, in which it was mentioned that Hooda would be given all the facilities available under the relevant Act and rules. Advocate Hemant, who has been continuously sending representations in this regard to the Governor of the state, Leader of the House (Chief Minister), Assembly Speaker, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Chief Secretary of the state, Assembly Secretary in the last one and a half year i.e. in May, 2022, said that he last year, this information was received from the Assembly Secretariat through RTI that till date, the Gazette notification regarding giving recognition to the said post by the then Assembly Speakers, who have been more than a dozen Leader of Opposition at different times in the Haryana Assembly, has not been notified. It should be noted that Mr Hooda had earlier been designated Leader of Opposition in the House in August 2002 and September 2019 also.