Congress leaders named to head Parliament committees

New Delhi: Even as the decision over the Leader of Opposition still looms over the Congress, many Congress leaders will now chair a number of Parliament committees. KV Thomas will head the Public Accounts Committee while Kamal Nath will head the Parliament committee on Defence.

Veerappa Moily will head the Parliament committee on Finance.

Meanwhile, in the House on Tuesday, Congress and Government traded barbs over the post of Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha with the main opposition even bringing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in its line of fire on the issue.

Amarinder Singh, who is the Congress' deputy leader in the House, said the party has written to the Speaker, who is new, staking claim for the post and she is yet to take a decision. "This means a decision will be taken in consultation with the government. This means whatever the government will want will happen," he told reporters in Parliament complex.

Kamal Nath added his bit to the criticism of the Speaker saying "some partie are feeling that many of the issues which they want to raise are not being given importance which they need to be given."

The government side reacted angrily saying the Congress' views reflected its "desperation" while Mahajan declined to wade into the LoP controversy.