India
Abdullah was caught speaking on the phone while everyone stood to attention.
Updated : May 27, 2016, 04:53 PM IST
In what may trigger a fresh controversy, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah was on Friday caught on camera talking on phone during the national anthem at Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee's swearing-in ceremony as the West Bengal Chief Minister. In a star studded event, graced by Bollywood celebrities and politicians alike, Mamata was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the second consecutive term.
This was the first time that Bengal witnessed a swearing-in-ceremony of a government outside the Raj Bhavan.
Kolkata Mayor Shovan Chatterjee, former Indian cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla and singer Indranil Sen are among the 17 new faces in the 42-member ministry. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav attended the swearing-in ceremony besides others. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and many former cricket and football players were also present on the occasion.
#CaughtOnCam Farooq Abdullah talking on phone during the national anthem at Mamata Banerjee's oath taking ceremonyhttps://t.co/3kKSuQUhu5
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 27, 2016