It is official. Rahul Gandhi will be the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) of the 18th Lok Sabha.
It is a big step towards the revival of the Congress party which has gained some momentum after it almost doubled its tally from 52 seats in 2019 to 99 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
As the LoP, he dons a constitutional role for the first time in his career.
One of the key things missing from his CV was a clear lack of administrative experience in a constitutional role.
Critics often argued that he may not take up the post as it is not in his nature to take up roles that require responsibility and accountability. By becoming the LoP, Rahul Gandhi neutralises these criticisms to some extent.
The role demands a lot of hard work and sincerity. His attendance record has been targeted by the treasury benches — 51 percent versus an average of 79 percent in the 17th Lok Sabha.
Critics, including supporters of the Opposition, have also targeted Rahul for being out of touch with ground reality, and for being a non-serious and part-time politician, born with a silver spoon.
But the fact that he traversed through the country covering over 10,000 km in seven months across 153 Lok Sabha seats established him as a politician who is here to stay. His Bharat Jodo Yatra has to a better electoral performance in the seats covered it, for both the Congress party and its allies (19 each, totalling a gain of 38 seats compared to 2019).
In fact, this led to some chatter amongst the public as they started questioning, “Where is my MP/MLA?” This is one of the lesser said impacts of the two yatras that Rahul he undertook.
In his first speech in the 18th Lok Sabha, Rahul asserted that his main objective is to represent the voice of the people — the poor, the Dalits, the Adivasis, the backward classes, and the minorities.
In his new role, he is pitched directly against Prime Minister Modi, as the LoP is equated with a shadow prime minister. Clearly, he would be transitioning into a prime ministerial candidate for the Opposition in the next elections.
He has closed the preferred leadership gap with Modi from 24 percent in 2019 to 14 percent in 2024. His own ratings have doubled from 14 percent in 2014 to 27 percent in 2024. In fact, in the Hindi Heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, Rahul had a higher rating than Modi for choice of PM as per the post-poll CSDS study.
Now, Rahul has a good opportunity to prove his mettle and showcase his vision to the country. He has come a long way from being branded “Pappu” by the BJP ecosystem.
Every speech and action of his will be observed through a microscope. He must realise that he has to do more than just criticise the Modi government and oppose its policies. A Parliament session is not an election rally.
He should acknowledge the good work that the Modi government does, cooperate in times of national interest, lend his hand in solving issues of national importance, and of course, providing constructive inputs on governance.
Rahul also needs to present an alternative vision of the Congress party to the people of India — how his party could do things differently than the BJP and add value to the existing schemes and policies of the government.
His oratory skills will be put to the test here. Nevertheless, he needs to leave rhetoric behind and focus on the real problems.
Additionally, Rahul should seriously consider having a shadow cabinet which will sharpen his attacks on the government, and at the same time, play a constructive role, which would be greatly appreciated by the people. Consensus, cooperation, and coordination should be his mantras, not confrontation.
While Rahul adorns the LoP role, focusing more on legislative responsibilities, his sister Priyanka Gandhi could be given the responsibility to handle the campaigning for the impending state elections.
Rahul will face quite some challenges in performing his duties. The BJP has sharpened its attack with respect to dynastic politics, highlighting for the umpteenth time that the Congress is a family-controlled party (like most regional parties, by the way). He needs to neutralise this by showcasing the ideology of his party and by appointing non-family members in key organisational positions.
He also has to keep the Opposition united. Parties like the TMC, the AAP, and those with the Left, may not accept the authority of the Congress and need to be kept in good humour as the grand old party's tally, after all, is less than half of the INDIA bloc's tally.
While he has earned the respect of the Congress cadre and leaders, he still needs to get more of it from its allies. This is where his interpersonal skills will be put to the test.
(Amitabh Tiwari is an independent political commentator and can be reached at @politicalbaaba on X [formerly Twitter]. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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