Rahul Gandhi will be the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha

New Delhi : As it was expected earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will take over as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Congress party has sent a letter to Protem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab regarding this decision. The decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition was announced soon after the meeting of India Block floor leaders at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

AICC General Secretary, Organization, KC Venugopal told the media that CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to the Protem Speaker about the Congress party’s decision. Venugopal told reporters after the meeting, “The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) wrote a letter to Protem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab informing him about the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.” He said that a decision on other appointments will be taken later.

Opposition leaders had gathered at the Congress president’s residence to discuss the Speaker’s election and sources said they were informed about this “good news”. With this decision, Rahul Gandhi has finally accepted the role, as he will now enjoy the status of a Cabinet minister. This will also enhance his position in the protocol list and he could be the opposition party’s natural contender for the post of Prime Minister. As the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi will also be a member of the crucial panels for the selection of the Central Vigilance Commission, Central Information Commission and NHRC chief, besides the crucial appointments of the Lokpal, CBI chief, Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. The Prime Minister heads all such panels.

Welcoming the decision, Kharge said that in the 18th Lok Sabha, the House of the People will truly reflect the aspirations of the last man, with Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice. “As Congress president, I am confident that a leader who travels to every nook and corner of the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and Manipur to Maharashtra will raise the voice of the people – especially the underprivileged and the poor,” he said in a post on X. Kharge also said, “The Congress party is firmly committed to protecting democracy and the Constitution by upholding its eternal principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.” Several leaders praised and thanked Rahul Gandhi for accepting the post and hoped that he would continue to be the voice of the people by raising their issues in Parliament. Venugopal later said in a post on X, “We are confident that as the leader of the opposition, Rahul ji will become a strong voice of the common people of India and ensure that the NDA government is held firmly accountable at all times.”

Earlier, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the country’s oldest party, had passed a resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to take over as the leader of the opposition, saying he was the “right person” to hold the post. Rahul Gandhi, who turned 54 last week, is a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. He has been a five-time MP and currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency in the Lok Sabha, which was earlier held by his mother Sonia Gandhi. He took oath as an MP on Tuesday holding a copy of the Constitution.

Though he won from two constituencies – Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, he resigned from the Wayanad constituency, from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will now contest. Rahul Gandhi entered politics in 2004 when he won for the first time from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Being the largest opposition party, the Congress has got the post of leader of opposition after a gap of 10 years. In the 2014 and 2019 elections, it failed to get the required 10 percent members in the Lok Sabha to get this post. In this Lok Sabha election, the Congress had fielded Rahul Gandhi and Kharge as its main campaigners and the party emerged as a strong force by winning 99 seats.

During the Congress Working Committee meeting recently, there was a unanimous demand to make Rahul Gandhi the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. When the proposal for his name for the Leader of the Opposition was passed in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi had asked the committee members for some time to think about it.