Rahul Gandhi's sharp message to Om Birla in debut appearance as LoP; 'Confident you'll defend Constitution'
Rahul Gandhi's sharp message to Om Birla in debut appearance as LoP; 'Confident you'll defend Constitution'
In his debut appearance as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress MP from Raebareli Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (June 26) congratulated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Om Birla for being re-elected as the Speaker of the lower house of the Indian Parliament for his second term.
Clad in a white kurta pyjama, Gandhi delivered a sharp message saying that the Lok Sabha Speaker is the final arbiter of the voice of the people, and the Opposition this time represents that voice significantly more than the 17th Lok Sabha.
"I would like to congratulate you for your successful election that you have been elected for the second time. I would like to congratulate you on behalf of the entire Opposition and the INDIA alliance," Gandhi said.
"This House represents the voice of India's people and you are the final arbiter of that voice. The government has political power but the opposition also represents the voice of India's people and this time, the opposition represents significantly more voice of the Indian people than it did last time," he said.
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He further stated that the opposition wants the House to "function well" adding that the cooperation was embedded in trust.
"The opposition would like to assist you in doing your work. We would like the House to function often and well. It is very important that cooperation happens based on trust. It is very important that the voice of the Opposition is allowed to be represented in this House," said Rahul Gandhi.
"We are confident that by allowing the Opposition to speak, by allowing us to represent the people of India, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution of India. I'd like to once again congratulate you and also all the members of the House who have won their election said the MP from Raebareli," Rahul further said.
Congress on Tuesday (June 25) declared Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, filling a post that was empty for almost a decade.
The development came after a meeting of the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc at Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence.
“Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) wrote to Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing him of the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha,” senior party leader KC Venugopal told reporters after the meeting in New Delhi.
(With inputs from agencies)