Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar kept a lonely vigil in Central Hall of parliament, with one eye on the Lok Sabha TV waiting for MPs from Maharashtra to be called for oath-taking.
Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar kept a lonely vigil in Central Hall of parliament, with one eye on the Lok Sabha TV waiting for MPs from Maharashtra to be called for oath-taking. As a minister, Pawar had taken the oath in the morning and was waiting for daughter Supriya Sule’s turn.
Such examples of filial connections abound in the 15th Lok Sabha, with several parent-child combinations making the House. Besides Pawar, there were Deve Gowda and son HD Kumaraswamy, Maneka Gandhi and son Varun, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul and Ajit Singh and son Jayant Choudhary.
While the swearing-in marked a milestone for these families, members still used the occasion to make a statement of sorts. For example, T Sanjay, Congress MP from Arunachal West, wore a wooden replica of a hornbill (a commonly found bird in the state) as headgear. When Maneka, known for environmental activism, questioned the gear, she was told she was not the only environment-friendly person in the House. “It’s not real, it’s made of wood,” Sanjay said.
Assauddin Owaisi of the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimee (AIMIM) dispensed with the customary greeting to the leader of the opposition, his dislike for the BJP stronger than his conformity to convention. Shahnawaz Hussein, the only Muslim MP from the BJP, took oath in the name of Khuda. “With so many agenda making their way into the party, I have to assert my own,” he said.
BJP’s Sumitra Mahajan took oath in chaste Sanskrit, while others, such as home minister P Chidambaram, preferred their mother tongues.
While Sonia Gandhi took the oath in the morning as leader of the Congress parliamentary party, son Rahul has to wait till Tuesday as Uttar Pradesh comes low in the alphabetical order.
For smaller parties, it was time to assert their difference. Telugu Desam members, all wearing blazing yellow shirts, were escorted by former MP Yerran Naidu. “So what if I have lost, my party is still in presence,” the veteran leader said.
Trinamool Congress members made a beeline for finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office to pay respects, especially because party chief Mamata Banerjee was away in Kolkata.
Mulayam, Lalu sit togetherReflecting the changed political reality in the new Lok Sabha, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP chief Mulayam Singh were sitting together as the House met for its first session on Monday. The two leaders of the Fourth Front were sitting in the front row of the benches meant for the parties supporting the ruling coalition. JD(U) leaders Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lallan’ and Sharad Yadav were seen taking a dig at Lalu.
Age no bar for Bhajan Lal Ageing Haryana politician Bhajan Lal faced difficulty while taking oath as member of the Lok Sabha on Monday. The 78-year-old erstwhile Haryana strongman, who has been unwell for quite some time, had to be assisted by parliament staff, as he slowly made his way to the mike near the speaker’s seat. Unlike other members, who read the oath from a copy provided by the Lok Sabha staff, Lal recited the oath from his a paper on which he had the words written in bold letters.
Shotgun, Jindal fail to take oath
Filmstar-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha was found missing when his name was called for taking oath as a member of the Lok Sabha. Sinha won the Patna Saheb Lok Sabha seat on the BJP ticket. Although Sinha attended the Lok Sabha, he was not there when his name was called. He will be take oath later. Prominent among those who were found missing when their names were called were former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren and Congress MP Navin Jindal.
Seven former CMs sworn in Seven former CMs – of Karnataka, Jharkhand and Delhi — took oath as members of the 15th Lok Sabha on Monday. While Delhi’s first woman CM Sushma Swaraj took oath in Sanskrit, former Karnataka CMs HD Deve Gowda and son HD Kumaraswamy took oath as members of the Lower House. Another former Karnataka CM N Dharam Singh also took oath. Madhu Koda, the former chief minister of Jharkhand, also took oath. Two other former CMs of Jharkhand - Arjun Munda and Babulal Marandi - also took oath.
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