'Perfect public representative is one who is actually dead': Rahul Gandhi explains what it means to be LoP

Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, told Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla that "perfect public representative is one who is actually dead," and that he is now a two structure -- one individual and the other Leader of Opposition (LoP).

Speaking on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said: "When I became LoP, I realised something that I had not realised before. It is also on the lines of principles of Lord Shiva."

"After becoming LoP, all my personal dreams, aspirations, fears have to be put aside. I am now actually two people and not one person. I am a constitutional person and my job is to be Leader of Opposition to represent all these parties equally," Gandhi said. 

'Don't just represent Congress'

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The Congress leader went on to say that, "In fact, I don't just represent the Congress party, I represent every single party and have to treat them with love and affection. So when Hemant Soren or Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, it should disturb and hurt me." 

"When you unleash your agencies on these political people, it is our job to defend them because there is a constitutional person and an individual,” he said.

Again holding a poster representing Lord Shiva, Gandhi said: "What Lord Shiva is saying is that when you are a constitutional person, the individual should die. The individual's aspirations, dreams should die and you should become the voice of the people. You should have no fantasies, no dreams, nothing." 

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"The perfect public representative is one who is actually dead, that's what Lord Shiva is saying," LoP Gandhi said. 

'There are now two structure'

Gandhi went on to say that, "There are two structures now - one is me as an individual and the one is me as the Leader of Opposition. Me as an individual might have my likes and dislikes, I might have my views, but as LoP, I have to suppress and reduce them and say now I am the voice of the Opposition. That is the idea of the democratic system. The people have given me a responsibility and that should overcome my likes, dislikes and aspirations."

The LoP further said the Speaker too has two identities - one as the Lok Sabha Speaker and the other as Om Birla. "When you shook my hand, you stood straight, but when you shook hands with PM Modi, you bowed while doing so."

"Rahul Gandhi said that everyone should bow down to the Lok Sabha Speaker, and the entire opposition will show respect to the Speaker. However, the Speaker should not bow down to anyone," Gandhi said.