From the Urdu Press: ‘Govt can’t ignore Rahul’s questions now’, ‘If Centre can’t conduct fair exams, trust in all will fade’

As the first Parliament session after the recent general elections got underway, it reflected a sea change in power dynamics, with the BJP short of a majority and dependent on its NDA allies, and the Opposition INDIA alliance confident and purposeful, fuelled by a rise in numbers. A rare contest for the Speaker’s post also took place, which signalled stormy days in Parliament ahead, while Rahul Gandhi took on his first statutory role as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The Urdu dailies captured these developments, and sought to decipher them.

SIASAT

Referring to Rahul taking over as LoP in the 18th Lok Sabha and INDIA allies hailing the move, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on June 27, notes that the senior Congress leader had taken up a constitutional or statutory responsibility for the first time, despite now being into his fifth term in the Lok Sabha. “In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul was seen as the prime ministerial face from the Congress in the event of the INDIA victory,” the editorial states, noting that under the leadership of Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress tally nearly doubled and “it is against this backdrop” that Rahul has taken charge as the LoP.

Rahul has thus become the third member of the Gandhi family to become the LoP, following in the footsteps of his father, the late Rajiv Gandhi, and his mother Sonia Gandhi, the edit notes. “In his crucial new role as the LoP, it can be expected that the Opposition would strongly stand up to the Modi government in a more organised and effective manner.”

The daily also writes that Rahul has been one of the key drivers of national politics. “While he has been the fulcrum of Congress politics and the party’s most popular