Rahul Gandhi’s Growing Stature

After a decade, the 18th Lok Sabha finally has a Leader of the Opposition with the Congress securing 99 seats in the recent general elections. Rahul Gandhi’s appointment to this significant position marks a pivotal moment in Indian politics

By Geeta Singh

AFTER 10 years, the 18th Lok Sabha has a Leader of the Opposition (LoP), with the Congress winning 99 seats in the recent general elections. Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as the Leader of the Opposition in this new Lok Sabha is a significant political event. Over the past two years, Rahul Gandhi has transformed himself into an aggressive opposition leader.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT 

Parliament did not have an LoP for the past two sessions, as no opposition party had members equaling one-tenth of the total Lok Sabha strength, which has traditionally been required to qualify for the post. While the Congress won 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, in 2019, it won 52. 

Instead, Kharge, then a Lok Sabha MP, was recognized as the Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha after the 2014 elections, and the same was accorded to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in 2019. Consequently, the two were part of several selection panels requiring the presence of the LoP. The post officially came into being through the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. 

The Act describes the LoP as a “member of the Council of States or the House of the People, as the case may be, who is, for the time being, the Leader in that House of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognized as such by the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People.”

As the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019, Kharge had claimed that the government had repeatedly tried to keep the opposition out of the selection of the Lokpal, on the grounds that there was no LoP.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

An article in The Indian Express in May 2017 by former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Achary clarified that “the law is clear that the Speaker is required to recognize the leader of the numerically largest party in opposition as the leader of opposition. The option of not recognizing him/her is just not available.” Achary further wrote: “A mysterious rule is often quoted by some self-styled experts, which requires a party to have at least 10 percent of the members of the House for the Speaker to recognize someone as the Leader of the Opposition. There is no such rule. Yes, there is direction 121 issued by the Speaker for recognizing a party or group for the purpose of providing certain facilities in the House… This direction relates to the recognition of a party, not the Leader of Opposition.”

An official 2012 booklet on Parliament says that the LoP in the Lok Sabha “is considered as a shadow Prime Minister with a shadow Cabinet, ready to take over the administration if the Government resigns or is defeated on the floor of the House.”The LoP occupies a seat in the front row in the House, left of the Chair, and enjoys certain privileges on ceremonial occasions like escorting the Speaker-elect to the rostrum. The LoP is also entitled to a seat in the front row during the President’s Address to both Houses of Parliament. Additionally, the LoP is the opposition’s representative in high-powered committees headed by the Prime Minister for appointments to key posts, such as the CBI Director, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Chief Information Commissioner, chairperson and members of the NHRC, and the Lokpal.

SIGNIFICANCE OF APPOINTMENT

Rahul’s decision to accept the post, his first constitutional responsibility, is a two-pronged signal to his detractors. It silences those critics who accuse him of shying away from taking up responsibility and of enjoying “power” without accountability. 

It also sends a signal to the government that the opposition will not ease its pressure on the Narendra Modi government after having tasted blood in the recent Lok Sabha polls.Par ty leaders admitted that had Rahul, who never took up a ministerial position during the UPA government’s two terms and hasn’t held a party post since resigning as Congress president after the 2019 Lok Sabha poll debacle, not become LoP after the June 8 CWC resolution, the BJP could have interpreted it as a signal that he was running away from a direct contest with PM Modi.

With the LoP post defined as “shadow PM,” it is also a much-delayed admission by the Congress – if indirect – that Rahul is the party’s first contender for the post should power be within reach.

The post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha holds great political significance. In the British parliamentary tradition, the LoP is referred to as the Prime Minister-in-waiting, as they are the one whom the monarch turns to when the incumbent government falls, to form an alternative government. 

Therefore, the LoP forms a shadow cabinet of their party colleagues. This shadow cabinet scrutinises the policies and actions of the government and offers alternative policies. It is called the shadow cabinet because its members mirror the positions of the individual members of the real cabinet. As members of the shadow cabinet, these opposition members familiarise themselves with the operations of the government.

LEGACY AND EXPECTATIONS

The Leader of the Opposition should be able to capture this new mood of the opposition and present his views in the House in the most effective way. The LoP of the 18th Lok Sabha has the onerous task of serving the unity of the opposition at all costs. 

With the LoP post defined as “shadow PM,” it is also a much-delayed admission by the Congress – if indirect – that Rahul is the party’s first contender for the post should power be within reach

In the House, he has primacy in debates and other interventions. It is a well-accepted parliamentary tradition that the Speaker permits the Leader of the Opposition to make interventions on any matter without any notice. He can demand the presence of the Prime Minister in the House when it debates serious issues. According to the British tradition, the Prime Minister directly informs the Leader of the Opposition about major policy initiatives. Thus, the channel of communication between the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition is always kept open.

Rahul is targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government on every issue. The way Rahul Gandhi has developed an understanding with other leaders of the India Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections has also made him acceptable. Now he will be facing Prime Minister Modi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He will be a part of many committees. He will sit with the Prime Minister as a member of the selection committees for institutions like the CBI, CVC, and Election Commission, and he will be invited as the Leader of the Opposition to important government programs.

Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as Leader of the Opposition gives him a critical voice in the selection of high-level officials. Although the government holds a 2-1 advantage on most selection panels, Gandhi’s inclusion ensures the opposition’s participation in these crucial decisions. At 54, he becomes the third member of his family to hold this position, following in the footsteps of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, and his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

The dynamic relationship between Rahul and Modi is also likely to create a lot of heat within the Lok Sabha.