New Delhi: Shri Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, AICC General Secretary Shri KC Venugopal said on June 25, 2024. Shri K.C.Venugopal said that the decision on other office-bearers will be decided later.
Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge hailed the decision, saying in the 18th Lok Sabha, the House of the People shall truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice.
“As Congress President, I am confident that a leader who has traversed the length and breadth of the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, and from Manipur to Maharashtra shall raise the voice of the people - especially the marginalised and the poor,” he said in a post on twitter.
“The Congress Party is strongly committed to protect Democracy and the Constitution, by upholding its eternal principles of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity,” Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge further said.
Several leaders lauded and thanked Shri Rahul Gandhi for accepting the position and hoped he would remain the voice of people in Parliament by raising their issues.
First Leader of Opposition in 10 Years
Notably, this is the first time in ten years that the Lok Sabha will have a Leader of Opposition. In the previous two Lok Sabha terms, Congress was the largest opposition Party but it did not have the requisite numbers, which is one-tenth of the strength of the House. In the 16th Lok Sabha, the Congress had 44 MPs, while in the 17th Lok Sabha it had 55. But this time, the Congress Party has 99 MPs - the highest number of MPs among the opposition parties.
The post of LoP was not recognised till 1969, when Ram Subhag Singh became the first recognised LoP of the Lok Sabha.
The post received statutory recognition through the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977, which defines the term ‘Leader of the Opposition’ as that member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha who, for the time being, is the leader of that House of the party in opposition to the government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised, as such, by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Shri Rahul Gandhi’s First Constitutional Role
As the Leader of Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi will be holding any constitutional position for the first time since his entry into politics in 2004 when he won for the first time from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
He would now get the status of a Cabinet Minister’s rank. This will also enhance his position in the protocol list and could be a natural claimant to the post of Prime Minister of the opposition bloc. Shri Rahul Gandhi as the LoP of Lok Sabha would also be a member of important panels on key appointments of Lokpal, CBI Chief, Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, besides the selection of Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Information Commission and the NHRC Chief.
He has been an MP for five terms and currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency in the Lok Sabha, previously held by his mother Smt.Sonia Gandhi. He took oath as an MP on June 25, 2024, while 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 Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would now contest.
What are the functions of the leader of the opposition?
The work of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is opposite to that of the Leader of the House, but still this responsibility is considered very important in the House. Opposition is an essential part of a democratic government. Effective criticism is expected from the opposition. Hence, it is not wrong to say that the most important part of the Parliament is the opposition. The ruling party runs the government and the opposition criticizes. Thus both have duties and rights. Attacking the government and ministers is the work of the opposition. One of the tasks is that the opposition should question the faulty administration and oppose it strongly. The opposition and the government alike work with consensus. If there is lack of mutual tolerance, then the process of parliamentary government breaks down.
After Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi will have the responsibility of Leader of Opposition
This is the third time that a member of the Gandhi family will be in the role of leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. Before this, Sonia Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi also became leaders in the Lok Sabha. Smt. Sonia Gandhi held the responsibility of Leader of Opposition from October 13, 1999, to February 6, 2004. Apart from this, Rajiv Gandhi also from December 18, 1989 to December 24, 1990.