Rahul Gandhi Is The Leader of Opposition In Lok Sabha. What Are Privileges Associated With Post?

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was appointed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as LoP following a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders at the residence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi.

This will be the first time in ten years that there will be a Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. After the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had passed a single-line resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hailed the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha.

“In the 18th Lok Sabha, the House of the People shall truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Shri Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice. As Congress President, I am confident that a leader who has traversed the length and breadth of the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, and from Manipur to Maharashtra shall raise the voice of the people — especially the marginalised and the poor. The Congress party is strongly committed to protect Democracy and the Constitution, by upholding its eternal principles of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity,” Kharge wrote in an X post.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi took oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha. The Congress leader held up a copy of the Constitution during the oath-taking and ended his oath with “Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan” chants.

Privileges Availed by the Leader of Opposition In Lok Sabha

The position of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha holds significant privileges and responsibilities.

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

To be eligible for the LoP post, a party must hold at least 10% of the seats in the Lok Sabha.

Why Was There No LoP In Lok Sabha For The Past 10 Years?

The post of Leader of the Opposition remained vacant since 2014 since no opposition party managed to secure 10 per cent of the seats.  However, in Lok Sabha election 2024, Congress bagged almost twice the minimal requirement of 54 seats in Lok Sabha to appoint the LoP.