Rahul Gandhi on Monday gave his debut speech as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, targeting the Narendra Modi government for 100 minutes.
The position of the LoP was officially described in The Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
AdvertisementThe LoP in the Lok Sabha enjoys certain privileges that are spelt out in the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
Rahul will be entitled to receive travel allowance for himself and his family members for travel to and from Delhi.
The LoP is also entitled to a seat in the front row during the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament.
Rahul Gandhi on Monday gave his debut speech as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, targeting the Narendra Modi government for 100 minutes. The speech elicited a strong response from the Treasury Benches led by PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
With no party having the strength to claim the LoP status in the last 10 years, Gandhi is the first Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha since 2014 and has claimed that he will represent all Opposition parties and not just the Congress on the floor of the House. Before Gandhi, some of the tallest leaders in Indian political history held the post, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sonia Gandhi, L K Advani, and Sharad Pawar.
The position of the LoP was officially described in The Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. The Act describes the LoP as a “member of the Council of States or the House of the People, as the case may be, who is, for the time being, the Leader in that House of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised as such by the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People”.
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The LoP in the Lok Sabha enjoys certain privileges that are spelt out in the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. The LoP is entitled to receive a monthly salary and daily allowances at the rates specified in “Section 3 of the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, with respect to Members of Parliament”, including a monthly sumptuary allowance of Rs 2,000. Like MPs, the LoP also receives a constituency allowance specified in Section 8 of the Act.
Rahul will be entitled to receive travel allowance for himself and his family members for travel to and from Delhi. He will also be entitled to receive travel and daily allowances for tours undertaken in the discharge of his duties, whether by sea, land or air. The travel allowance is equivalent to the amount that a Union Cabinet Minister is entitled to. The LoP is exempted from paying income tax on certain perquisites. LoPs and their families are also entitled to free admission and treatment at hospitals maintained by the government.
The LoP can be present when foreign dignitaries are on official visits and can engage in dialogue with them. In the order of precedence, the Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha come at number 7, along with Union Cabinet Ministers, the National Security Advisor, the Principal Secretary to the PM, the Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog, former PMs, and Chief Ministers.
The LoP gets a designated seat in the House in the front row to the left of the Chair and enjoys certain privileges on ceremonial occasions such as escorting the Speaker-elect to the rostrum. The LoP is also entitled to a seat in the front row during the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament.
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The LoP is given an office in the Parliament complex, along with staff, and gets a residence in the National Capital, including staff quarters and other buildings, and a garden. For the “maintenance” of the official residence, money based on local rates and taxes for electricity and water are also given. The LoP is also entitled to telephone and secretarial facilities. The LoP also gets money to buy a car “in order that he may be able to discharge conveniently and efficiently the duties of his office”.
