Rahul Gandhi, other opposition leaders meet Lok Sabha Speaker

New Delhi, June 27: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi along with other opposition leaders met Speaker Om Birla in his chamber in Parliament on Thursday.

This is the opposition’s first meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker after National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and MP from Kota, Om Birla, was elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Speaking about the meeting, Congress MP KC Venugopal told ANI that the meeting was a courtesy from Rahul Gandhi to meet and thank Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the Speaker declared Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition today.

“Lok Sabha Speaker officially declared Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition today. It was a courtesy from Rahul Gandhi to meet and thank him. Political statements from the Speaker’s mouth could have been avoided yesterday. What was there in the President’s address? It was the same as last time. There was nothing new. No expectation for the youth, women, poor, farmers of the country, “Venugopal told ANI.

Earlier after assuming charge as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in a post on X said that together Congress will raise the voice of every Indian in Parliament, protect our Constitution, and hold the NDA government accountable for their actions.

“I thank Congress President @kharge ji, and all the Congress leaders and Babbar Sher karyakartas from across the country for their overwhelming support and warm wishes. Together, we will raise the voice of every Indian in Parliament, protect our Constitution, and hold the NDA government accountable for their actions,” the Congress leader said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Notably, Lok Sabha did not have a Leader of the Opposition in the last 10 years because no political party, other than the ruling party, was able to secure the minimum Lok Sabha seats required to nominate a Leader of the Opposition.

The leader of the largest opposition party having not less than one-tenth seats of the total strength of the Lok Sabha is recognised as the leader of the opposition (LoP).

LoP will be a member of crucial committees such as Public Accounts (Chairman), Public Undertakings, Estimates and several Joint Parliamentary Committees.

The LoP is entitled to be a member of various selection committees responsible for appointing heads of statutory bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Information Commission, the CBI, the NHRC, and the Lokpal.

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha began on June 24 and will conclude on July 3. The 264th Session of Rajya Sabha will commence on June 27 and conclude on July 3. On June 27, President Murmu is scheduled to address a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament.