Many newly-elected members on Tuesday raised slogans after concluding their oath in Lok Sabha, with some even engaging in raillery and heated exchanges, ignoring the Chair’s direction to desist from it.
The presiding officer directed that no slogans will go on record. While many BJP MPs ended their oath with chants of ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’, Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Shafiqur Rahman Barq objected to Vande Mataram slogan, drawing protests from members of treasury benches who demanded an apology from him.
The Chair asked the members several times that they should not raise slogans, but in vain.
Taking a dig, Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked BJP’s Arun Kumar Sagar, who chanted ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ twice, to raise the slogan “one more time.” Mr. Gandhi again repeated “one more time” after the next BJP MP Ajay Kumar also raised the slogan of “Bharat Mata ki Jai.”
Mr. Kumar than retorted that he will say the slogan again if Mr. Gandhi can complete it by chanting ‘Jai’ following which Gandhi said “Jai Hind” and was joined by other Congress members. Aligarh BJP MP Satish Kumar Gautam raised a slogan, rebuffing a reminder to not do so.
Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM MP from Hyderabad, chanted “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Takbeer Allahu Akbar, Jai Hind”, after members from the ruling side shouted slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande mataram’
Earlier, when a DMK member hailed Periyar, Kaliangar, Gandhi and Ambedkar, the Chair said only the prescribed format should be taken on record. However, some BJP members asked Revolutionary Socialist Party leader N.K. Premachandran as to why he was not objecting to raising of such slogans by opposition MPs like he did when the BJP members took oath and raised slogans on Monday.
To this, Premachandran said the Chair has already given direction in this regard. BJP MP Mathura Hema Malini concluded her oath with ‘Radhey, Radhye’ and a phrase from shloka in praise of Lord Krishna.
