Congress's focus only on leader of opposition post: Jaitley

Taking a jibe at the Congress, union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday said the party's entire politics was now centred around getting recognition for its leader in Lok Sabha as leader of opposition.

"Congress's whole politics in now centred around whether it's the recognised opposition or the unrecognised opposition. Their whole political struggle is now about whether they formally get the post of leader of opposition," Jaitley, who is a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, said at a party programme here.

With a requirement of minimum 55 seats in the Lok Sabha for an opposition party's leader to be recognised as leader of the opposition, Jaitley said the Congress which could get only 44 seats now wants to change the law.

"Since 1952, there have been seven times when the opposition failed to bag 55 seats and the Congress was in power. Then, no opposition party was given the recognition. But now when Congress has got less than 55 seats, it wants to change the law.

"They are now only concerned about knowing what their status is in the opposition," he said.

Claiming that the Congress-led government never had the strength to take firm decisions, Jaitley said the Narendra Modi government has shown the way by taking some tough decisions.

"Congress has been attacking us for the hike in the railways fare but we just implemented what was their decision. Moreover, the hike was imperative to save the railways. Unlike the Congress we have shown that this government has the guts to take strong decisions," he added.