New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will open the opposition charge against the NDA government on July 1 when the House will debate a motion to thank President Droupadi Murmu for her joint address to both the Houses on June 27.
“Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will be the first speaker from the opposition side,” Congress veteran and eighth term Lok Sabha MP K Suresh told ETV Bharat. The motion for the customary debate will be moved by a minister and a BJP member will be the first speaker from the treasury benches. Rahul will be the first speaker from the opposition benches.
The Rae Bareli MP who has been demanding a discussion over the alleged scams in the NEET-UG and other entrance tests is likely to come down heavily on the policies of the NDA government headed by PM Modi.
Though Rahul has made some very notable and strong speeches in the previous Lok Sabha as a member, the one on July 1 is going to be his first full-fledged speech as the Leader of the Opposition, a post that he has held for the first time since he entered the House in 2004. As expected, Rahul’s speech on Monday will set the tone for an aggressive opposition which has been waiting to take on the NDA in the new House.
Over the past two Lok Sabha tenures, the BJP had a brute majority in the House with 282/543 seats in 2014 and 303 seats in 2019. However, the saffron party came down to 240 seats in 2024 but could still form a government with the help of its allies who took the NDA tally to 292, more than the required 272. In contrast, the Congress doubled its tally from 52 in 2019 to 99 and the INDIA bloc presented itself as a united opposition grouping with 232 seats.
The support of three Independents has taken the INDIA bloc tally to 235, which explains the new-found aggression in the opposition camp that showed over the appointment of Pro-Tem Speaker who administers the oath to the newly elected members and also the election for the regular Speaker.
As per parliamentary tradition, the honour of being Pro-Tem Speaker should have gone to Congress veteran K Suresh but the NDA appointed BJP member B Mahtab instead. Later, the NDA rejected INDIA bloc’s proposal to elect a deputy Speaker from the opposition side and criticized the grouping for fielding K Suresh against its nominee Om Birla for the post of regular Speaker.
“The opposition is very aggressive this time and will corner the government on various issues of public interest. Rahul Gandhi wanted the House to send a message over the NEET scam to reassure the lakhs of affected-students and their families but the government did not agree to the proposal,” said Suresh.
While Rahul Gandhi will lead the opposition attack in the Lok Sabha, Congress president and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge will open the debate over the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the upper house of Parliament.
“The President’s address was written by the government but PM Modi seems to be in a state of denial. The people rejected his claim of 400 seats and limited him to 240. This was a vote for change but he is not accepting it. The President’s speech ignored key issues like unemployment and high price rise besides accountability in the NEET scam, train accidents and safety of passengers, civil strife in Manipur and terror attacks in Jammu. We want answers to these issues,” Rajya Sabha deputy leader of Congress Pramod Tewari told ETV Bharat.
Read More
- 'Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan': Rahul Gandhi Takes Oath As Lok Sabha MP With Copy Of Constitution In Hand
- Rahul Gandhi Meets Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Says Reference To Emergency Could Have Been Avoided
- Speaker Recognises Rahul Gandhi As Leader Of Opposition In Lok Sabha: Read What Perks, Powers Come With The Role
