opposition-waves-constitution-in-ls-protest

Opposition members demonstrated their unity by waving copies of the Constitution on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session. This act of protest occurred as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the oath of office as a member of the new Lok Sabha. Home Minister Amit Shah faced a similar reception from opposition members.

 

Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding entrance examinations like NEET and NET, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also took the oath while opposition members chanted slogans related to the exams.

 

Notable opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee, and Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Awadhesh Prasad, were present in the first row of the opposition benches. Prasad had recently won a significant victory over the two-time BJP MP Lallu Singh from Faizabad, a constituency that includes Ayodhya, by a margin of 54,567 votes.

 

In a show of dissent, Congress member Kodikunnil Suresh, DMK's T R Baalu, and Trinamool Congress' Sudip Bandyopadhyay walked out of the House when the oath-taking ceremony began. This protest was in response to the appointment of Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker.

 

These three members were supposed to assist the pro-tem Speaker but chose to remain absent. Consequently, BJP members Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste were administered the oath after the Prime Minister.

 

During the swearing-in of the panel of chairpersons, opposition members raised slogans accusing the government of violating the Constitution. Despite the tense atmosphere, the session began with a sense of formality and respect.

 

Members greeted each other with hugs and reverentially touched the threshold of the Lok Sabha chamber, symbolising their commitment to their new roles as public representatives.

 

Among the early entrants to the Lok Sabha chamber was first-term lawmaker Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj. She mingled with fellow members, exchanging greetings and taking photographs.

 

Members of the TDP, a key ally of the BJP, sported yellow scarves, while Samajwadi Party members wore red caps and pale-red 'gamchas,' holding copies of the Hindi version of the Constitution.

 

TDP's K Ram Mohan Naidu, the youngest member of the Union cabinet, embraced fellow minister Chirag Paswan of the LJP(RV) and warmly greeted Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

 

Actor-politician Ravi Kishan of the BJP arrived in a traditional dhoti-kurta, while Anita Chouhan, a first-term BJP member from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, wore traditional attire.

 

Arun Govil, the BJP member from Meerut known for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the television serial Ramayan, greeted fellow members enthusiastically. Another actor-turned-politician, Kangana Ranaut, who won her seat on a BJP ticket from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, entered the Lok Sabha chamber wearing a white saree. Both Ranaut and Govil were seated in the eighth and ninth rows, respectively.

 

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was also present, seated in the third row. The session's opening day highlighted both the ceremonial aspects of parliamentary proceedings and the underlying tensions between the ruling party and the opposition.