Challenge and an opportunity

The Lok Sabha will have a Leader of Opposition (LoP) for the first time in 10 years in Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. For Gandhi, who has established himself as a mass leader with his two Bharat Jodo Yatras and the revival of the Congress in the recent general elections, this will be a test of his abilities both as a politician and parliamentarian.

The LoP is a statutory office, under the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977, with the rank and perks of a Cabinet minister. As LoP, Gandhi will be the chairman of the crucial Public Accounts Committee, which examines various CAG reports that audit government schemes, and be a member along with the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India in panels that select the heads of various central agencies and institutions such as the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commission members and the Central Bureau of Investigation. The PM and the LoP will need to keep a channel of communication open, and the former is expected to brief the latter on government policies in the best traditions of parliamentary practice. In the last two terms, the government, which enjoyed an overwhelming majority in Parliament, showed no inclination to accommodate the views of the Opposition. It will not be easy to ignore a 236 MPs-strong Opposition.

The office of LoP will be both a challenge and an opportunity for Gandhi. First, Gandhi, though a five-term MP, is yet to make his presence felt as a forceful speaker in the House. In the Westminster tradition, the model for the Indian parliamentary system, the LoP is considered the PM-in-waiting. The office expects its incumbent to be the counterpoise to the government and hold it accountable on behalf of the House. The easy option is to oppose every action of the government, but a more productive path would be for the LoP to engage in constructive criticism of the executive by offering alternative policies and programmes. This can help to raise the quality of debates in Parliament as well as force the executive to improve governance. Second, the LoP is not just the leader of the largest Opposition party; Gandhi will represent the entire Opposition. This can be an onerous task since the Opposition is not a cohesive unit and the Congress does not have the numbers to impose its will on allies. Gandhi’s abilities as a leader will be tested though, of course, he can seek help from seasoned politicians in his party and the INDIA bloc to help him.

The LoP has to be the voice of the restive Opposition and hold it together in Parliament, and he needs to do that without compromising the dignity and decorum of the House. Though it offers no real powers, astute conduct in office can help burnish his credentials.