Rahul Gandhi put on a white kurta pyjama for his debut as Leader of the Opposition
The Lok Sabha Speaker is the final arbiter of the voice of the people, and the Opposition this time represents that voice significantly more than the last time, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today after BJP's Om Birla was re-elected the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament.
In his first appearance as the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Gandhi put on white kurta and pajama -- a break from the white t-shirt-trouser look he is usually seen in.
In his congratulatory message to the Speaker, Mr Gandhi said, "The Opposition would like to assist you in doing your work. We would like the House to function. It is very important that cooperation happens on the basis of trust. It is very important that the voice of the Opposition is allowed to be represented in this House."
"I am confident that you will allow us to speak. The question is not how efficiently the House is run. The question is how much of India's voice is being allowed to be heard. So the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the Opposition is a non-democratic idea. And this election has shown that the people of India expect the Opposition to defend the Constitution," he said.
"We are confident that by allowing the Opposition to speak, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution," Mr Gandhi said.
Mr Gandhi is the third member of his family to become the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. While father Rajiv Gandhi served on the position in 1989-90, mother Sonia was Leader of the Opposition from 1999-2004.
As the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Gandhi will be part of the appointment process for key positions such as the CBI chief, Chief Election Commissioner and National Human Rights Commission chairperson. He will enjoy a cabinet rank and also get a separate office in the Parliament building.
Outside the House, Mr Gandhi's first move after he was announced Leader of the Opposition was to reach out to key INDIA ally Trinamool Congress's chief Mamata Banerjee last night to secure the party's support for K Suresh, Opposition's candidate for the Speaker's post. The Trinamool had earlier said they had not been consulted on the Opposition's candidate and called the decision "unilateral". But following a conversation between Mr Gandhi and Ms Banerjee, they came around.
Mr Birla, a three-time MP, was elected Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time in a row today after a voice vote.
As the House applauded Mr Birla on his election, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorted him to the Speaker's chair.
This was only the third election for the Lok Sabha Speaker after Independence. The voting took place after the Congress forced a contest and fielded its eight-time MP K Suresh as a challenger. The numbers, however, were clearly on Mr Birla's side. While the NDA candidate had the support of 297 MPs, the Opposition pick had 232.