PM Modi, his Council of Ministers take oath as MPs
As the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha commenced today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath as the member of the House.
Sharing his remarks ahead of the first sitting where all 280 new MPs will take oath, the PM said all efforts will be made to move forward with “consensus” to serve the people of the country.
“May it be a productive one… I hope the Opposition fulfills the responsibility as the opposition of the people and meets their expectations of debate and vigilance as opposed to disturbance and drama,” he added.
Meanwhile, the seven-term MP Bhartruhari Mahtab who was appointed as the pro-tem Speaker was administered oath by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.
The first session will have eight sittings and will go on till July 3.
The resurgent Opposition which is gearing up to push the NDA government for answers on several issues including the ongoing NEET-NET exam paper leak row among others has begun its aggressive stance over Mahtab’s appointment as the pro-tem Speaker and said it will not “help or assist the government” in this matter.
It slammed the government for overlooking eight-term Lok Sabha member Kodikunnil Suresh who should have got it as per the convention of naming the senior-most MP to the post.
They alleged that Suresh was sidelined as “he belongs to the Dalit community”. Members of the INDIA bloc protested before heading inside the Parliament building and said the choice is a violation of the Constitution.