Rahul Gandhi’s obesity probe as India’s opposition chief

Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi has been appointed the leader of the opposition in the Indian Parliament, filling the vacant post for a decade.

This is the first time that a major rival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held a constitutional post since he joined politics in 2004.

Mr Gandhi will now take a seat on the committees that make key appointments and act as a balance to the senior minister.

Since 2014, the opposition party had won 10% or 55 of the 543 seats required to claim the post, but in the recent general election, the Congress won 99 seats.

Mr Modi surged to power with the help of allies, but his party fell short of a majority in two consecutive elections.

The Congress party said Mr Gandhi would assure that the government would always be held accountable.

Some witnesses say his appointment heralds a good call for India’s self-governance – the opposition has repeatedly accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of authoritarianism, a charge it denies.

Political commentator Neerja Chaudhary told the BBC, “It’s going to be a turbulent Parliament and the opposition will take the government to task.”

Ms Chaudhary said the post would also test Mr Gandhi’s ability as a pace-setter.

Even though he has been in politics for over 25 years, and has been an MP five times – he has never been a minister or won a regular election for his party.

“He has to lead from the front and ensure that there are no differences within his party or the opposition faction,” Ms Chaudhary said. “He will be accountable for what goes wrong and what goes right.”

The Congress on Tuesday appointed Mr Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), later holding a meeting with its alliance partners who formed the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (India) opposition faction.

The alliance performed better than expected in the general elections, securing 232 seats. This was not a sufficient number to stop Mr Modi from assuming central power, but it ensured that the BJP would not be able to reach the 272 mark and had to depend on allies.

On Wednesday, Mr Gandhi appeared for the first time in Parliament in his untouched state.

He congratulated BJP’s Om Birla, who has been appointed Speaker of the House, and assured him of the opposition’s support, while also exhorting him to listen to the views of the parties.

He said, “It is very important that cooperation be based on trust. It is very important that the voice of the opposition is allowed to be represented in this House.”

As Leader of Opposition, Mr Gandhi may be part of high-profile committees headed by the Prime Minister. These committees are responsible for the appointment of key positions such as the Director of the Controlled Crime Investigation Agency of the Republic of India and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Ms Chaudhary says a more powerful opposition would provide more space for debate, making it harder for the government to move spending without discussion.

“It is going to be even more difficult for the ruling majority to suspend and disqualify MPs, as we have seen in recent days,” she says.

Extreme Future, some major expenses – including expenses that change the current prison rules of the Republic of India – has been passed in Parliament with virtually no debate Later, 143 opposition members were suspended in protest against security violations in Parliament.

Sugata Srinivasaraju, a political journalist who has written an article on Mr Gandhi, says his untouched role will help the Congress leader revive his image as a pace-setter.

“This new job not only brings enormous responsibility, but will also expect Mr Gandhi to be more methodical, diligent and patient in Parliament than he has been in the last 20 years,” he told the BBC.

Mr Gandhi became Congress president in 2017, but fell ill after the party’s poor performance in the 2019 elections.

He has been repeatedly mocked by Mr Modi and the BJP as a non-serious baby-kisser. However analysts say that the two long marches he conducted across the country within a few years helped him shed that image.

Since he is not a respected Congress leader, he won both the parliamentary seats – Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh – with huge majorities.

“The decision to accept the new role reflects a newfound confidence in him,” Mr Srinivasaraju said.

“He has made a dent and he has to build on it carefully.”