Tharoor bats for Rahul as LoP

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hailed Rahul Gandhi as "the man of the match" of the Lok Sabha polls and said it would only be fitting that he takes on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the house.

"It will be a challenge for Modi and 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," Tharoor said on the incoming coalition government of the NDA.

The former Union minister said this time the Modi-led NDA government could prove to be a 'majboor sarkaar' (helpless government) on some issues because the parties that are part of the NDA will have to agree on everything. "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.