Rahul Gandhi’s First Speech as Leader of Opposition in 18th Lok Sabha

In his first speech as Leader of the Opposition of the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi emphasized the importance of allowing the opposition’s voice in the House. He expressed hope that the opposition would be able to raise the voice of the people with cooperation and trust.

Gandhi began his speech by congratulating Om Birla for being elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha for a second term. He stated, “Mr Speaker, this House represents the voice of the people of India and you, sir, are the final arbiter of that voice. Of course, the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the people of India.”

He pointed out that this time the opposition represents significantly more voices of the Indian people than last time. Gandhi stressed the importance of the opposition being allowed to be represented in the House, adding, “The question is not how efficiently the House runs, but how many voices of India will be heard in this House.”

Gandhi concluded by expressing confidence that allowing the opposition to speak would help protect the Constitution.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and MP from Kota, Om Birla, was elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha after a motion for the same was moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The motion was adopted by the House through a voice vote. The opposition, which had sought K Suresh as the speaker candidate of the INDIA bloc, did not press for a division vote. Rahul Gandhi extended his wishes to Birla and accompanied him to the chair along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and PM Modi.