The 16 Lok Sabha met for the first time on Wednesday but adjourned almost immediately as a mark of respect to Union Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde who died in a car accident in the Capital on Tuesday.
With Munde’s death casting a shadow on the day’s proceedings, applause was muted when Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked into the House for the first time ever just before the Lok Sabha was convened. Before he took his place reserved for the Leader of the House, Mr. Modi -- escorted by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu – walked across the floor to greet seniors from his own party and also the Opposition.
As he approached the Congress benches, party president Sonia Gandhi was walking into the House and the two exchanged pleasantries in a rare moment that could not be captured by the cameras as recording of proceedings usually begins only when the Speaker arrives. Earlier, Mr. Modi exchanged warm greetings with another bitter critic, Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samjwadi Party.
The House was soon called to order by pro tem Speaker Kamal Nath and proceedings began with the observance of a minute’s silence to mark the solemnity of the first sitting of the 16 Lok Sabha. Lok Sabha Secretary-General P. Sreedharan tabled the list of elected members submitted by the Election Commission.
With the permission of the House, Mr. Nath then set aside the swearing-in of the members to make an obituary reference for Mr. Munde before adjourning the House. Once again the acrimony of the bitterly fought elections was set aside as senior members from the Treasury and Opposition benches crossed over to greet each other.
