The Indian National Congress on Tuesday picked West Bengal MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as its Leader in the lower House, Lok Sabha. If reports to be believed the move came after Rahul Gandhi refused to take charge of the post.
Chowdhury will be replacing Congress Stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge who was the Leader of the party in the 16th Lok Sabha. In the recently held national polls, Mallikarjun Kharge fails to score and lost from Gulbarga Lok Sabha Seat in Karnataka.
It should be noted that Manish Tiwari, Shashi Tharoor, and K Suresh was also among the frontrunners for the post, however, Congress picked five-term MP for the post.
There were speculations about Rahul Gandhi taking the charge as the Leader of the House after he offered his resignation from the Congress Top Post. However, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) rejected his resignation unanimously.
A former President of the West Bengal Congress, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has the reputation of having a loud voice in the House. He will be leading the Congress in the Lok Sabha where it has 52 MPs.
Speaking on the development, Congress West Bengal MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, ‘I have been given this responsibility (the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha). I was asked to stand in the front. I said okay. I am a foot soldier and foot soldiers stand in front. So I will fight as a foot soldier’.
Congress MP from West Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: I have been given this responsibility (the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha). I was asked to stand in the front. I said okay. I am a foot soldier and foot soldiers stand in front. So I will fight as a foot soldier pic.twitter.com/jf42aQWXXO
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2019
The name of the five-time Behrampore MP in West Bengal was proposed by Congress Parliamentary Leader Sonia Gandhi in a meeting on Tuesday. Congress President Rahul Gandhi was also present in the meeting which was attended many top brasses of the party. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, AK Antony, Jairam Ramesh, P Chidambaram, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, K Suresh were among those were present in the meeting.
Gandhi discussed the plans and finalize the strategy for the ongoing Parliament Session.
Sources believed that the party deliberate upon the common agenda to coordinate with other opposition parties on the floor.
In the recently held national polls, Congress won 52 Lok Sabha Seats which is 2 short of 10% strength, to stake a claim for Leader of Opposition.
In the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha that begins from Monday, the new government plans aims to convert 10 ordinances into law.
Election to elect a new Speaker of the House will be held on June 19. NDA Nominee Om Birla is likely to get elected as next Speaker unanimously.
While the President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint session of both the houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – on 20th June.
ALSO READ:
- West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to skip meeting of all-party chiefs called by PM Modi on June 19
- Sunny Deol, Mulayam Singh Yadav, among others take oath as MP in Day 2 of 17th Lok Sabha Session
- ‘With More than 350 MPs, govt should work towards constructing Ram Mandir’: Shiv Sena in ‘Saamna’