Sushma sits in PM’s seat in Lok Sabha, raises eyebrows

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj during a function to commemorate 69th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Central Hall of Parliament in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday raised eyebrows when she sat on the Prime Minister’s seat in the >Lok Sabha .

Ms. Swaraj walked up to the treasury benches after the first adjournment around 11:15 AM and was seen enquiring about the health of Leader of the House and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde who is back after a surgery.

She sat next to him, on the seat meant for the Prime Minister, and was there for nearly five minutes.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi was sitting next to Mr. Shinde.

Later, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, DMK leader T.R.Baalu, BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi, TDP leader Nama Nageshwar Rao and expelled BSP MP Vijay Bahadur Singh also went up to Shinde to enquire about his health.

Mr. Shinde, 72, underwent surgery for a lung ailment at a private hospital in Mumbai earlier this month and was away during the ongoing Monsoon session.