Rahul Gandhi Likely To Be Leader of Opposition In Lok Sabha. What Are Privileges Associated With Post?

The Congress on Saturday took a decisive step by passing a single-line resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

The decision was made during a meeting of the party’s top decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), held at Hotel Ashok in New Delhi.

Key figures of the Congress party, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other leaders, participated in the discussions.

Following the CWC meeting, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “We discussed the states where we have not done well. The entire CWC is charged up. This is the revival of the Congress party… Everyone said Congress was finished. We had to fight against the exit poll also…Now the revival of the Congress party has started. This is the sentiment of the CWC.”

Venugopal further stated that the CWC unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to assume the role of the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

He added, “Rahul ji is the best person to lead this campaign inside the Parliament. He heard the sentiments of CWC and he will take a decision very soon.”

Privileges of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament

The position of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha holds significant privileges and responsibilities. To be eligible for the LoP post, a party must hold at least 10 per cent of the seats in the Lok Sabha.

The LoP is a member of crucial committees such as Public Accounts, Public Undertakings, and Estimates.

Additionally, they participate in various Joint Parliamentary panels and serve on selection committees responsible for appointing heads of central agencies like 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).

Why was there no LoP in Lok Sabha for last 10 years?

The post of Leader of the Opposition has remained vacant since 2014, as no opposition party has managed to secure 10 per cent of the seats.

Following the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) defeat in 2014, the Grand Old Party was reduced to 44 seats in the Lok Sabha.

After the 2014 debacle, the ruling BJP government, through the appointed Speaker, declined to recognise the Congress party’s leader as the Leader of Opposition.

In 2019, although the Congress improved its seat tally slightly, it still fell short of the required 54 seats to claim the LoP position.