Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday officially recognized Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition, following the Congress party’s formal communication of his nomination to the Lok Sabha Secretariat a day earlier. A notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat confirmed that Gandhi has been acknowledged as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha effective from June 9. Notably, the Rae Bareli MP received this recognition under Section 2 of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
Rahul Gandhi thanks Kharge
Gandhi, who earlier in the day joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in escorting the newly-elected Birla to the speaker’s chair, thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his appointment to the role. “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 (National Democratic Alliance) government accountable for their actions,” Gandhi said.
