LAHORE - The Opposition in Punjab Assembly on Monday boycotted the budget session to register its protest over Speaker's alleged lacklustre response to its plea on notification of one of its members as Leader of the Opposition. The opposition members led by Ch Zaheeruddin Ahmad set up their "Make-shift Opposition Chamber" under a tent outside Punjab Assembly building and remained there till the session was over. While talking to reporters, Ch Zaheeruddin rejected the budget, asserting it provided no relief to the poor. He said government had failed to scale down prices of essential commodities in the annual budget as per its promises made with the people during election campaign. "It would have been a great success of the Government had it been able to keep the prices at the level they were found some four months back before its advent", he maintained. Later, after adjournment of the session, the opposition members had an hour-long meeting with Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Muhammad Iqbal in his assembly chamber to discuss issue of delay in nomination of opposition leader. The Speaker assured opposition members that he would settle the issue within two days after hearing other groups within the opposition claiming nomination of their respective members as opposition leader. Ch Zaheeruddin told the Speaker that his party would have no objection if any other group proved its majority in the House and got its member nominated as opposition leader. He underscored early resolution of the dispute irrespective of who is nominated for the coveted office. Earlier, while speaking on a point of order, Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah vehemently opposed nomination of any member belonging to PML-Q as opposition leader, citing its bad conduct in the past with the then Opposition. He claimed that PML-Q lacked the required strength to qualify for nomination of one of its members as the opposition leader. Talking about alleged rude behaviour of PML-Q ministers in the previous assembly, Rana Sana said, "In their arrogance, they would say that exiled leaders would never come back and that they would elect General Musharraf in uniform ten times. Now their mentor (Musharraf) is counting last days of his rule in the presidency, solely depending on support from his foreign mentor (President Bush)", he observed. The Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, however, asked him to observe restraint and tolerate the Opposition. PPP's Nazim Hussain Shah also gave him a similar piece of advice. Leader of the House Mian Shahbaz Sharif also endorsed what Nazim Hussain said. Consequently, Rana Iqbal sent some treasury members to woo the opposition to attend the session, but it did not oblige Speaker's emissaries.