Taking the fight to the ruling BJP-led NDA, Rahul Gandhi has accepted a decision by the Congress Working Committee and will take up the mantle of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Tuesday’s announcement comes hours before the first big battle of the 18th Lok Sabha, between a resurgent opposition and a diminished ruling coalition, over the post of Speaker.
Denied an assurance that an opposition member would be given the post of Deputy Speaker, as is the tradition, the Congress and the INDIA bloc decided to force an election for the post of Speaker at the last minute by putting up K Suresh as its candidate against the BJP’s pick, Om Birla, who was the Speaker in the last Lok Sabha.
While Wednesday’s election – the first for the Speaker’s post in decades – is likely to be only a symbolic one since it requires a simple majority of 272 MPs and the NDA, which has 292 on its own, has also got the support of the YSR Congress’ 4 MPs, it is about the opposition signalling that things in Parliament will not remain as they were in 2014 and 2019.
The move to make Rahul Gandhi, who is arguably the Congress’ most popular face at the moment, the Leader of the Opposition is also being seen as a step in that direction because this is the first time since 2014 that any opposition party has managed to cross the magic figure of 54 (10% of the Lok Sabha’s strength) needed to stake claim to the post. Besides getting a cabinet rank, the Leader of the Opposition post will enable Mr Gandhi to strongly take up the issues of the people and the INDIA bloc at a time when the opposition parties are at their strongest in a decade.
He will also be part of key panels, like those to select Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners, along with the Prime Minister.
The decision to pick Mr Gandhi for the post was made after a meeting of floor leaders of the INDIA bloc at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Tuesday
“Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) wrote a letter to Pro-Tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing him of the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Other office bearers will be decided later,” senior party leader KC Venugopal said after the meeting.