Rahul Gandhi to become opposition leader in Indian Lok Sabha
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New Delhi: Amid growing clamour for ''structural changes'' in the Congress after its electoral drubbing in the recently concluded assembly elections 2017, it is highly likely that its vice president Rahul Gandhi may be appointed as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha as part of the new shake up.
Quoting highly placed, Jansatta.com reported on Thursday that in view of Congress veteran Mallikarjuna Kharge's appointment as the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Rahul Gandhi may be asked to take charge as the Leader of Opposition till the next General Elections in 2019.
Kharge, who has been the Leader of the Opposition since 2014, will take charge as PAC chief from April, and his deputy Captain Amrender Singh has now become the new chief minister of Punjab after party's impressive victory in Punjab.
This is also probably for the first time that the Congress has made the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha as the head of PAC.
Hence, all eyes are now on Rahul Gandhi, who is most likely to be elevated as the Congress by the year end.
A section of party leaders feel that Rahul Gandhi should now take over as the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chief and continue as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha till 2019 elections.
However, it is also being speculated that someone from South may be elevated to the Deputy CPP leader's post.
Interestingly, Jyotiraditya Scindia, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and the son of former Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia, is tipped to be become the deputy leader of the CPP.
Rahul Gandhi-led Congress had won 44 seats in the Lok Sabha in the 2014 General Elections – its worst ever performance till date. The shocking results of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have dealt a further blow to the Congress party, which has been route from Uttarakhand and Manipur this time.
A section of Congress leaders who are uncomfortable with Rahul Gandhi's style of functioning, have also questioned his wisdom of forging an electoral alliance with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, which was also voted out of power by the 'Narendra Modi wave'.
