The decision to select Mr. Gandhi for the post was taken after a meeting of floor leaders of the India bloc.
New Delhi:
Rahul Gandhi has accepted the decision of the Congress Working Committee on the ruling BJP-led NDA's fight and will take over as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Tuesday's announcement comes hours before the first major battle in the 18th Lok Sabha, between a resurgent opposition and a shrinking ruling coalition, over the Speaker's post.
Denying an assurance that an opposition member would be given the post of Deputy Speaker, as is customary, the Congress and Indian Bloc fielded K Suresh as their candidate for the Speaker's post at the last minute. decided. BJP's nominee, Om Birla, who was Speaker in the previous Lok Sabha.
While Wednesday's election – the first for the Speaker's post in decades – is likely to be a symbolic one as it requires a simple majority of 272 MLAs and the NDA, which has 292 of its own, also Supported by YSR Congress. “4 MPs, this is signaling to the opposition that the situation in Parliament will not be the same as it was in 2014 and 2019.
The move to make Rahul Gandhi, the most popular face of the Congress, as the Leader of the Opposition is also seen as a step in the same direction as it is the first time since 2014 that an opposition party has crossed the spell. I have succeeded. A figure of 54 (10% of Lok Sabha strength) is required to claim the post. Besides gaining cabinet status, the post of leader of the opposition will enable Mr. Gandhi to take up the issues of the people and the Indian bloc strongly at a time when opposition parties are at their strongest in a decade.
He will also be part of key panels, such as those selecting the Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners and the CBI Director, along with the Prime Minister. The constitutional post will also give him the opportunity to meet visiting heads of state to share his views on national issues.
The decision to select Mr. Gandhi for the post was announced after a meeting of floor leaders of the Indian bloc at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjan Kharge on Tuesday night.
“Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (Sonia Gandhi) has written a letter to Speaker Pro Tem Bhartohari Mehtab, informing her of the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The other officials will be decided later. “. Leader KC Venugopal said.
However, despite the timing of the announcement, Congress allies were not informed of the decision at the India meeting, sources said.
CWC resolution
A meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, on June 8 — four days after the Lok Sabha election results were announced — passed a resolution naming Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the opposition. should be determined.
“Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi should be singled out largely for the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Naya Yatra that he designed and led. Both of these yatras reflect his thought and personality,” the resolution said. Reflecting the historic turning point in our country, Rahul Gandhi's election campaign instilled hope and confidence in millions of our workers and millions of our voters, and more than any other person, he was our leader. Made the preservation of the republican constitution a central issue in the 2024 elections.
Mr Gandhi was reportedly reluctant to take up the post but sources said he agreed to the party's demands and was urged to do so by his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi.
Congress President Kharge had also jokingly warned him that if he did not abide by the decision of the Congress Working Committee, disciplinary action would be taken against him. This was confirmed by Mr Gandhi himself when the party was announcing that he would vacate the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and that Priyanka Gandhi would contest from there, saying that “threats have been made”.