Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
Rahul Gandhi becomes Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha: Will hold constitutional post for the first time; Third member of Gandhi family to hold this position after Rajiv-Sonia Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will be the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The party announced this after a meeting of India Alliance leaders at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (June 25). After this, Congress Parliamentary Board Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Protem Speaker Bhartrihari Mahtab in this regard.
Rahul will hold a constitutional post for the first time in his 20-year political career. He will be the third member of the Gandhi family to hold this post. Before this, his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi had held this post from 1989-90 and mother Sonia from 1999 to 2004.The post of Leader of Opposition was vacant for 10 years.
The post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was vacant for 10 years. With any opposition party in 2014 and 2019.
The minimum 10% members required for this were not there. To stake claim for the post of Leader of Opposition, any party has to cross the figure of 55 members out of total 543.
In the 2024 elections, Congress has become the largest opposition party with 99 seats. India Alliance managed to win 232 seats as against BJP’s 240 seats and NDA’s 293 seats. Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won only 52 seats. In the 2014 elections, the party could win only 44 seats.
After becoming the Leader of Opposition, Rahul will get many powers and rights. As the Leader of Opposition, Rahul will get many powers and rights. He will be part of the key panel to select the appointment of two other members of the Election Commission, including the Chief Election Commissioner, along with the Prime Minister.
Apart from this, Rahul Lokpal, ED-CBI Director, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Central Information Commissioner, There will also be members of the committees that select the NHRC chief.
The Prime Minister is the chairman of these committees. This will be the first time that Prime Minister Modi will have to take consent from Rahul Gandhi in the decisions of appointment to these posts.
Rahul will also be the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee which audits the expenses of the Government of India. He will also continuously review the functioning of the government. Rahul can also invite Presidents or Prime Ministers of other countries to India to give their views on national issues.
The Leader of Opposition gets many facilities including a government bungalow, a salary of Rs 3 lakh. Under the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Act 1977, the post of Leader of Opposition is equal to that of a Cabinet Minister. The leader holding this post gets the same salary, allowances and other facilities as a Union Minister.
After becoming the leader of opposition, Rahul got a government bungalow and an office in the secretariat like a cabinet minister.
will get. He will get Rs 3 lakh 30 thousand for monthly salary and other allowances. As an MP, Rahul gets a salary of Rs 1 lakh and an allowance of Rs 45 thousand every month.
Rahul will get the same high level of security as a cabinet minister. Apart from this, they will also get free air travel, rail travel, government vehicles and other facilities.
On June 8, a proposal was made to make Rahul the Leader of Opposition.On June 8, four days after the Lok Sabha election results were declared on June 4, a resolution was passed in the Congress Working Committee meeting stating that Rahul Gandhi should be appointed Leader of the Opposition.
The resolution said that Rahul Gandhi designed and led the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. Both these visits were historic turning points in the country’s politics. This created hope and confidence among lakhs of Congress workers and crores of voters.Hope and confidence was created among the workers and crores of voters.
Rahul Gandhi had initially refused to take this post, but on the persuasion of mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi, he agreed to become the leader of opposition.
Rahul was also offered a cabinet post in the UPA government.According to media reports, between 2004 and 2014, Rahul was being pressurized to take a cabinet post in the UPA government led by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, even then he refused.
Rahul Gandhi became Congress President in 2017 and resigned, taking moral responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Under Rahul’s presidency, Congress could win only 44 seats in 2014 and 52 seats in 2019.
