With Congress leader in LS to get LoP status, party considering experienced MPs for role as PAC chairman
The party could not get its leader in the Lok Sabha the status of Leader of Opposition. Mallikarjun Kharge was the Congress leader in Lok Sabha after the 2014 elections and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the previous Lok Sabha.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi with party leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (ANI)
NEW DELHI: With Congress winning 99 seats in general elections, its leader in Lok Sabha will get the status of Leader of Opposition (LoP) for the first time in the past 10 years and the party is looking at nominating one of its senior members to post of chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a panel that is constituted for the purpose of auditing the revenue and the expenditure of the Government of India.
The chairman of the PAC is usually a senior member of the largest opposition party.
With the Congress winning 44 and 52 seats in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party could not get its leader in the Lok Sabha the status of Leader of Opposition. Mallikarjun Kharge was the Congress leader in Lok Sabha after the 2014 elections and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the previous Lok Sabha.
Both Kharge and Chowdhury had been chairpersons of the Public Accounts Committee and had a room in Parliament with requisite staff.
Now with the Leader of Opposition having a rank equal to a cabinet minister, the Congress leader taking the role will have a room and official staff.
Congress sources said that names are being considered for the role and Manish Tewari, party MP from Chandigarh, is being considered a front-runner.
Congress is keen that party leader Rahul Gandhi takes the role of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.
The Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to accept the role as Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi has asked for time to convey his decision.
