Congress MP Rahul Gandhi finally took the plunge and become the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The Congress has got this post after 10 years after it won 99 seats in Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
This was a decision, which came after a lot of brainstorming. Rahul Gandhi’s initial reluctance was overtaken by the fact that he was keen and ready for a direct fight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It also ends his and his party’s earlier reluctance to engage in a direct fight with PM Modi.
After the debacle of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress was trying to protect Rahul Gandhi and shield him from any direct confrontation with the PM during the 2024 polls. But sources said that Gandhi himself was keen for the fight. He told his party colleagues that he was ready to take on the PM as he was convinced that the PM and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) days were numbered. His belief was firmed with the BJP failing to get a simple majority in the 2024 polls.
But the cues that Gandhi was keen for battles have been clear over the past few days. First, despite knowing that the INDIA bloc does not have the numbers, he was insistent that the coalition must fight for the post of Speaker against NDA candidate Om Birla. He had told party leader KC Venugopal to convey the message to the government that there would be a trade off – no contest against Birla in exchange for the Deputy Speaker post.
Sources said that Rahul Gandhi was quite sure the BJP would not agree. Hence, he decided to goad them and was not surprised when things fell apart.
The Congress had been pitching for K Suresh as the Pro-Tem Speaker. When this did not happen, Gandhi insisted that K Suresh must be the Speaker candidate from the opposition coalition’s side.
What Does Rahul Gandhi as LOP Imply?
Given the Constitutional significance that the post holds, Gandhi will be a part of every important panel meet to choose chiefs of agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He will initiate and speak on every legislation and discussions. But more than that he would be pitted directly against the PM in Lok Sabha.
In fact, sources have said that Rahul Gandhi is looking forward to the day when the PM would initiate his speech in Lok Sabha by referring to new LOP or Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi as LOP also will enthuse the party cadre to fight back in key elections and for the opposition which has been dispirited for long, may be Rahul Gandhi as LOP can make the change. But with the power also comes the responsibility. He will have to ensure that the Congress can win friends and reach out to like minded parties as well as coalition partners. The mistake it made of making a “unilateral” decision of fielding K Suresh cannot be repeated.
The Congress hopes for a “khela hobe” in Lok Sabha, but then Rahul Gandhi will be pitted opposite an ace politician in PM Modi. With this decision to become LOP, Rahul Gandhi is finally back to holding an official position in the party after having given up the one as Cong President in 2019.
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