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Shashi Tharoor calls Rahul Gandhi ‘Man of the Match’, endorses him as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
Shashi Tharoor said that it would be fitting of Rahul Gandhi becomes the Leader of Opposition in the Parliament after his performance in the Lok Sabha polls.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday hailed Rahul Gandhi as the “man of the match” of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, crediting him for the INDIA bloc's performance in the polls. Tharoor further said that it would only be fitting if Gandhi takes on the mantle of Leader of Opposition in the Parliament.
Tharoor, who won his fourth straight election from Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha polls, told PTI that the message of the mandate was that the electorate have given a "comeuppance" to the BJP's "overweening arrogance" and its "my way or the high way attitude".
Speaking in cricket analogies, the Congress leader said Rahul Gandhi was "unquestionably, indeed the man of the match" of the polls and in a number of places the Congress "hit the ball out of the park".
"He (Gandhi) and Congress president (Mallikarjun) Kharge campaigned extensively throughout the country, but Mr Kharge is in the Rajya Sabha where he leads the Opposition and it would only be fitting that Rahul Gandhi does the same in the Lok Sabha. I have certainly conveyed my view both publicly and privately in that regard," Tharoor said.
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While speaking on the NDA coalition government, the Congress leader said, “It will be a challenge for Mr (Narendra) Modi and Amit Shah who have not been used to consulting very much in running their government and I think this is going to test their ability to change their way of functioning and be more accommodative and more conciliatory within the government and also I hope with the opposition.”
Taking a dig at the NDA, Tharoor said that the third-time Modi government could become a “majboor sarkaar” (helpless government) on several national issues as some parties in the alliance will have to be convinced to support the government.
"Already we have questions being raised by one party on the Agniveer scheme, saying that it needs to be reviewed and they have been supported by a second party namely the JD(U) and Chirag Paswan. Both in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, there are leaders who have demanded special category status for their states which the BJP government had hitherto refused to grant, that will have to be re-examined," he said.
Tharoor further alleged that the Modi government has been treating the Parliament like a notice board for the last 10 years, expecting it to put a rubber stamp on all its decisions. This will not be viable now, he said, as the opposition holds over 230 seats.
(With inputs from PTI)
