New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday hailed Rahul Gandhi as a ‘Jan-nayak’ (people’s leader) and a ‘defender’ of the Constitution after he took oath as Rae Bareli MP in the 18th Lok Sabha.
Congress leaders said Rahul’s fifth term in the Lower House of Parliament marked a new phase of his pro-poor politics and noted that the former party chief will keep the NDA government on its toes in the days to come.
A cheerful Rahul took the oath wearing his trademark white T-shirt that had become popular during his Bharat Jodo Yatra last year and showed a copy of the Constitution that he vowed to protect during the entire Lok Sabha poll campaign.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson and his mother Sonia Gandhi along with sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who will contest the Wayanad seat in Kerala vacated by the former party chief, watched Rahul take oath from the gallery in the House.
“He is a Jan-nayak no doubt. He walked the length and breadth of the country to listen to the people’s voice and then articulated their concerns in the party manifesto. During the national poll campaign, he vowed to protect the Constitution that the BJP leaders wanted to change. The people responded to his appeal positively and backed the opposition alliance,” AICC functionary BM Sandeep Kumar told ETV Bharat.
The remarks came amidst a general acceptance within the Congress party that Rahul’s aggressive focus on social justice and alleged violation of Constitutional norms by the Modi government played a major role in boosting the grand old party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha.
“The strongest voice of the opposition has now reached Parliament. The politics of social justice would see a new beginning. Our leader will raise the voice of the people in the House with a resolve to protect the Constitution. People’s rights would become stronger against injustice. He will raise the voice of the poor, farmers and women in the House and will create a new India of our dreams,” Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari told ETV Bharat.
Party leaders said Rahul’s thrust on safeguarding the Constitution had clicked among the opposition INDIA bloc as well which has been displaying amazing unity since June 24 when the special session of Parliament started. For instance, the entire INDIA bloc displayed copies of Constitution on June 24 within the Parliament House complex and many of them including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also displayed while taking oath as Kannauj MP.
“There must be regard for Parliamentary traditions from both sides, the treasury as well as the opposition. The NDA displayed scant regard for tradition first over the nomination of pro-tem Speaker and later over the election of Speaker in the Lok Sabha. Our legitimate demand that the deputy Speaker’s post should go to the opposition was rejected by the NDA. In the previous House, the Centre did not appoint the deputy Speaker for a full five years. Jan-nayak Rahul Gandhi has said that we want to play constructive opposition. If the opposition is allowed to raise people’s issues, the Parliament will function. The opposition is stronger this time and will not let the NDA stifle its voice. We will keep the government on its toes,” Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore told ETV Bharat.
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