GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th June. The Congress Party on Tuesday announced that Rahul Gandhi will be the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the 18th Lok Sabha. The decision was made during a meeting of floor leaders from the I.N.D.I.A bloc at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. This marks the first time in a decade that the Congress has secured the LoP position, having previously fallen short of the necessary 10 percent membership threshold in the Lok Sabha.
Sonia Gandhi Informs Pro-tem Speaker
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal stated, “Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the LoP in the Lok Sabha. Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing him of the decision.” The announcement came following a meeting with the I.N.D.I.A bloc’s floor leaders.
Return of the LoP
The 18th Lok Sabha will have a Leader of the Opposition for the first time in ten years, with Congress, holding 99 MPs, now recognized as the largest opposition party. In the previous two Lok Sabhas, Congress did not meet the requirement, with only 44 MPs in the 16th and 55 MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha.
The LoP position, first recognized in 1969 with Ram Subhag Singh, received statutory recognition in 1977 through the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act.
Rahul Gandhi Takes Oath as MP
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi took his oath as a Lok Sabha MP, holding a copy of the Constitution. He concluded his oath with slogans of ‘Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan,’ receiving a warm welcome from the Opposition benches.
The oath-taking ceremony for elected representatives began on June 24, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers taking their oaths on Monday.
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