NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi will be leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, in a major leg up for the Gandhi scion in his parliamentary responsibilities which is widely viewed as laying the ground for an aggressive and confrontational face-off with a dominant BJP.
The expectation that politics in coming days will be a ‘Modi vs Rahul’ duel got another fillip by the fact that as LoP – the first constitutional position he will hold – Rahul is likely to be chairman of the all-important Public Accounts Committee that has the primary function of examining CAG reports, and can also seek probes from the govt.The panel, though with govt majority which decides issues by vote, has proved to be testy for many regimes. Besides, he would also be a member of various collegiums comprising the PM and CJI or govt nominees for selection of chiefs of important investigation and transparency agencies – CBI, Lokpal, CVC, CEC/Election Commissioners and CIC.
In a late evening announcement, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written to pro tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab appointing Rahul as LoP. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul would become the “voice of the last person standing”. AICC treasurer Ajay Maken said, “Rahul has always been the most fearless voice among the opposition, and as LoP, his impact will be even more profound”.
Honour wishes of CWC on LOP post, Kharge urges Rahul
The decision to name Rahul Gandhi as leader of opposition in Lok Sabha lifted the suspense on the issue that has been agitating minds in Congress since results of the 2024 elections were declared, and especially after Congress Working Committee on June 9 passed a resolution urging Rahul to take up the position.
In the meeting, Kharge had personally pushed the issue by telling Rahul that he was anyway playing the key role of mediation and coordination, and had gained the desired experience to take up the formal post. Besides, he had urged Rahul to honour the wishes of the party’s apex body.
The appointment comes in the wake of Congress being in high spirits despite losing the third consecutive election to the Modi-led BJP, encouraged by the fact that it has revived in key regions of the country and performed admirably despite the adverse circumstances of extreme polarisation, funds crunch, pressure from agencies and sidelining in media under the BJP dispensation. Besides, the strong showing and unity of the INDIA bloc has raised the prospect of a spirited fightback in the future.
As the head of a rejuvenated opposition led by a strong Congress strength, the party believes Rahul can take on Modi with a focused targeting of govt on issues of governance. The Congress leader is credited with taking on BJP at a time when regional parties were cagey about its blowback. He also put “communalism” back on centre stage in the face of popular belief that it would repel Hindu voters – as headlined by his two countrywide yatras.
Rahul himself said at a press conference last week, when he remarked, “Earlier, only Congress was not scared of Modi, now other parties are also not scared of him.”
The expectation that politics in coming days will be a ‘Modi vs Rahul’ duel got another fillip by the fact that as LoP – the first constitutional position he will hold – Rahul is likely to be chairman of the all-important Public Accounts Committee that has the primary function of examining CAG reports, and can also seek probes from the govt.The panel, though with govt majority which decides issues by vote, has proved to be testy for many regimes. Besides, he would also be a member of various collegiums comprising the PM and CJI or govt nominees for selection of chiefs of important investigation and transparency agencies – CBI, Lokpal, CVC, CEC/Election Commissioners and CIC.
In a late evening announcement, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written to pro tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab appointing Rahul as LoP. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul would become the “voice of the last person standing”. AICC treasurer Ajay Maken said, “Rahul has always been the most fearless voice among the opposition, and as LoP, his impact will be even more profound”.
Honour wishes of CWC on LOP post, Kharge urges Rahul
The decision to name Rahul Gandhi as leader of opposition in Lok Sabha lifted the suspense on the issue that has been agitating minds in Congress since results of the 2024 elections were declared, and especially after Congress Working Committee on June 9 passed a resolution urging Rahul to take up the position.
In the meeting, Kharge had personally pushed the issue by telling Rahul that he was anyway playing the key role of mediation and coordination, and had gained the desired experience to take up the formal post. Besides, he had urged Rahul to honour the wishes of the party’s apex body.
The appointment comes in the wake of Congress being in high spirits despite losing the third consecutive election to the Modi-led BJP, encouraged by the fact that it has revived in key regions of the country and performed admirably despite the adverse circumstances of extreme polarisation, funds crunch, pressure from agencies and sidelining in media under the BJP dispensation. Besides, the strong showing and unity of the INDIA bloc has raised the prospect of a spirited fightback in the future.
As the head of a rejuvenated opposition led by a strong Congress strength, the party believes Rahul can take on Modi with a focused targeting of govt on issues of governance. The Congress leader is credited with taking on BJP at a time when regional parties were cagey about its blowback. He also put “communalism” back on centre stage in the face of popular belief that it would repel Hindu voters – as headlined by his two countrywide yatras.
Rahul himself said at a press conference last week, when he remarked, “Earlier, only Congress was not scared of Modi, now other parties are also not scared of him.”
