Rahul gets opposition leader role

New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chief rival, Rahul Gandhi, was appointed on Tuesday to lead India’s opposition in parliament, a key post that has been vacant for a decade, signalling a reinvigorated challenge to government.

Congress party general secretary K C Venugopal said Gandhi would be "a bold voice for the common people of India" and ensure the government "is held firmly accountable at all times", he told reporters in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gandhi took the oath in parliament as a newly-elected lawmaker. "To protect the Constitution is the duty of every patriotic Indian," he said shortly after in a statement. "We will fulfil this duty in full measure." AFP