Rahul Gandhi sets expectations in first Lok Sabha address as LoP: 'Oppn also represents voice of India'

In his first address to Lok Sabha as the leader of opposition, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that results of the recent Lok Sabha elections have shown that the people of India expect opposition to defend the Constitution of India.

Rahul, who was speaking after the re-election of Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker, congratulated the Kota MP on his successful election on the behalf of INDIA bloc and the entire opposition.

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He said that the opposition now has a greater voice in Lok Sabha and expressed confidence that the Speaker will allow them to raise their concerns in the lower house.

"This House represents the voice of India's people and you are the final arbiter of that voice. Of course, the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the voice of India's people. And this time, the opposition represents significantly more voice of the people than it did last time

"The opposition would like to assist you in doing your work. We would like the House to function often and well. It is very important the cooperation happens on the basis of trust. It is important that the voice of opposition is allowed to be represented in the House," he said.

Rahul further said that the idea of "silencing" the voice of the opposition is "undemocratic".

"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 in the House. So the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the opposition is non-democratic," he said.

Rahul added that the election has shown that people want the opposition to defend the "samvidhan" o of the country.

"This election has shown that the people of India expect the opposition to defend the Constitution of this country. We are confident that by allowing the opposition to speak, you will do your duty by defending the Constitution of India," he said.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA won 293 seats while the INDIA bloc, which includes Congress, secured 234 constituencies.

Notably, BJP failed to secure a Lok Sabha majority as it won 240 seats, down from 303 in 2019. Meanwhile, Congress increased its seat tally to 99 in 2024 from 52 in the previous general election.