Amid the ongoing parliamentary session, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hailed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and said the People’s House will truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice.
The Congress on Tuesday declared Rahul Gandhi, an MP from Raebareli’s party, to be the leader of the opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, ending 10 years without a Lok Sabha in the Lower House since 2014. “In the 18th Lok Sabha, The People’s House will truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Rahul Gandhi becoming his voice,” Kharge posted on X.
He further expressed his confidence in Rahul Gandhi and said that he would raise the voice of the people in the Parliament session. “As Congress president, I am confident that a leader who has traversed the entire country, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Manipur to Maharashtra, will raise the voice of the people, especially the marginalized and the poor,” he added. .
The head of Congress reiterated the party’s commitment to “protect Democracy and the Constitution, defending its eternal principles of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” Notably, the Lok Sabha did not have an opposition leader in the last 10 years because no political party, apart from the ruling party, could secure the minimum Lok Sabha seats required to nominate an opposition leader.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress emerged as the second largest party with 52 seats. Three were missing to reach the required numbers. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, again the second largest party, won 44 Lok Sabha seats, well short of the mark. After the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress emerged as the second largest party in the elections and improved its number to 100, from 52 in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. The INDIA bloc’s total stands at 234, it reported the ANI.
Rahul Gandhi’s announcement as LoP comes a day before the elections for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. Rahul Gandhi won from Raebareli and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. While Rahul Gandhi won with a margin of 364,422 votes from Wayanad by defeating Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India, in Raebareli he won with a margin of 390,030 votes from Raebareli by defeating Dinesh Pratap Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party, ANI reported.
However, after Rahul Gandhi announced that he would resign as MP from Wayanad and retain Raebareli constituency, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the candidature of Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad last week. If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family will be in Parliament: Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in Lok Sabha, ANI reported.
Earlier, Gandhi took oath as a member of Parliament, carrying a copy of the Constitution in his hands. The leader of the largest opposition party having at least one-tenth of the total Lok Sabha seats is recognized as the leader of the opposition. He will be a member of crucial committees like Public Accounts (Chairman), Public Enterprises, Estimates and various Joint Parliamentary Committees, ANI reported.
He is entitled to be a member of various selection committees responsible for appointing heads of statutory bodies such as the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Information Commission, the CBI, the NHRC and the Lokpal. The Leader of the Opposition in both Houses received legal recognition under the Salaries and Allowances of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Act 1977 and is entitled to salaries, allowances and other facilities equivalent to those of a Cabinet Minister.
(With contributions from ANI)
