Congress Appoints Rahul Gandhi as Leader of Opposition in Parliament
New Delhi, 8th June 2024: During a pivotal meeting at Hotel Ashok in New Delhi, the Congress convened its top decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), on Saturday. Among the significant resolutions passed during this gathering was the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
Prominent figures within the Congress party, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other leaders, engaged in comprehensive discussions during the CWC meeting.
Post-meeting, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal expressed the committee’s sentiment, stating, “We deliberated on our performance in various states and found a renewed vigor within the entire CWC. This marks a resurgence for the Congress party… Despite widespread skepticism, the CWC is resolute. The Congress party’s revival is underway.”
Venugopal conveyed that the decision to nominate Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha was unanimous among the CWC members. He remarked, “Rahul ji has been urged unanimously by the CWC to spearhead our efforts within Parliament. He has attentively considered the committee’s sentiments and will soon make a decision.”
The Role of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament:
The designation of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha entails substantial privileges and duties. Eligibility for this position necessitates a party holding a minimum of 10% of the Lok Sabha seats.
The LoP assumes membership in critical committees like Public Accounts, Public Undertakings, and Estimates. Additionally, they contribute to various Joint Parliamentary panels and serve on selection committees responsible for appointing heads of central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as well as chiefs of statutory bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Information Commission (CIC).
Absence of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Over the Last Decade:
The position of Leader of the Opposition has remained vacant since 2014 due to no opposition party securing the requisite 10% of seats.
Following the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) defeat in 2014, the Congress party was left with only 44 seats in the Lok Sabha.
Subsequent to the 2014 defeat, the ruling BJP government, through the appointed Speaker, declined to acknowledge the Congress party’s leader as the Leader of the Opposition.
Despite a slight improvement in Congress’s seat tally in 2019, it still fell short of the necessary 54 seats to claim the LoP position.
