Parliament Session 2024, Lok Sabha Session Day 2 Highlights: On the second day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Hema Malini, Asaduddin Owaisi and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi were among the prmoinent members who were sworn in. Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane, Supriya Sule from the NCP (SP), Arvind Sawant from the Shiv Sena (UBT), and Shrikant Shinde from the Shiv Sena were also among the newly-elected members who were sworn in on Tuesday. Yesterday, 262 newly-elected members of the Lok Sabha took their oath, with the remainder scheduled to be sworn in today.
Om Birla, the BJP leader nominated for the speaker’s post, also took his oath on Tuesday.
As many as 262 newly-elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took their oaths on Monday. During the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc staged a protest march inside the Parliament complex, raising slogans about ‘saving democracy’ and displaying copies of the Constitution.
Parliament Session 2024 Live Updates:Remaining 281 MPs to take oath as Members of Parliament. Follow real-time updates from the 18th Lok Sabha session here!
Concluding the day with an announcement, Pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab stated that only the oaths and affirmations by the MPs have been recorded, while all other comments, protests, and slogans have been expunged. He then adjourned the House proceedings until 11 am on Wednesday.
BJP MP Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar took the oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha today, concluding with the words, "Jai Hindu Rashtra, Jai Bharat." Opposition leaders raised objections to his slogan.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the Congress to refrain from insisting on a contest for the position of Lok Sabha Speaker, emphasising that the presiding officer should remain nonpartisan.
"I appeal again that they should think about keeping in mind the dignity of the post of Speaker. We have the numbers but still, we are requesting that there should be no election for the post of Speaker because this post does not belong to any party," he said.
BJP MP Hema Malini in an interaction with media backed Om Birla for the Lok Sabha Speaker post, saying he was excellent throughout the last five years and managed things well.
#watch | Delhi: On Lok Sabha Speaker post, BJP MP Hema Malini says, "I want Om Birla to be elected as he was excellent and he managed very well in the past five years" pic.twitter.com/BxGv8rTLA3
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024
Today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took oath along with AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
During his oath-taking, BJP MP Chatrapal Singh Gangwar from Bareilly said "Jai Hindu Rashtra."
Opposition MP Premachandran objected, exclaiming, "How can he say that?" The Chair assured it would not go on record.
During the swearing-in ceremony of the 18th Lok Sabha, all Congress MPs and several Opposition members were seen taking their oaths while displaying the Constitution of India. This act is part of the INDIA bloc’s unique form of protest. Notably, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was observed carrying a copy of the Constitution during his electoral campaign, warning that the BJP might tamper with it if re-elected. Although the INDIA bloc lost the election, they continue to use the Constitution as a symbolic reminder of their concerns about the government's intentions.
After a lunch break, Tamil Nadu MPs resumed taking their oaths, with DMK members opting for Tamil and pledging allegiance to the Constitution. Dr. Kalanithi Veeraswamy invoked Periyar and highlighted the influence of CM Stalin during the ceremony. Dayanidhi Maran also referenced Periyar, CM Udhayanidhi, and Karunanidhi, advocating for the ban of the NEET exam amid recent controversies.
In a strong reaction to the upcoming election for the Lok Sabha Speaker, Purnea MP Pappu Yadav accused the BJP of disregarding established parliamentary traditions.
"They are rejecting the tradition with arrogance, and when the Opposition is strong. Deputy speaker post has always been with the Opposition on ethical grounds. It is not fair to make the Speaker's chair a home of BJP. It is parliamentary democracy. It is not correct," he said.
VIDEO | BJP leader Manna Lal Rawat (@RawatML7) takes oath as MP in Sanskrit on the second day of Parliament Session. pic.twitter.com/MjQbFbAeqK
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 25, 2024
Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat with one of Punjab's largest victory margins — 175,993 votes — took oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh acknowledged Mallikarjun Kharge as a senior leader, expressing respect for him. He mentioned they had conversed three times since yesterday, in response to Congress' assertion that there had been no return call from the BJP regarding discussions on the nomination of Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker.
VIDEO | “(Congress leader) Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and I respect him. We had a conversation three times since yesterday,” says Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Congress' claim of not receiving any call back from BJP to discuss the nomination of Lok Sabha Deputy… pic.twitter.com/C6d17ROxpV
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 25, 2024
Congress's K.C. Venugopal and DMK's T.R. Baalu walked out of Rajnath Singh's office, refusing to endorse the NDA nominee for the Speaker's post.
Congress MP K. Suresh has filed his nomination for the post of Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.
No consensus has been reached on the Speaker's post for the 18th Lok Sabha, sources said Monday. The INDIA bloc is likely to field its own candidate for the position, according to ANI.
NCP leader Sharad Pawar's daughter, Supriya Sule, took oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha. She defeated her sister-in-law, NCP candidate Sunetra Pawar, in the Baramati bypolls by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes. While Sunetra received 5,73,979 votes, Supriya won the election by securing 7,32,312 votes.
VIDEO | Bharat Adivasi Party's lone MP from Rajasthan’s Banswara Rajkumar Roat arrives at Parliament on a camel to take oath as an MP.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 25, 2024
(Full video available at PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/3Ux0dlmy7N
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that his party would support the government's choice for Lok Sabha Speaker if the deputy speaker post is allocated to the Opposition. This follows reports indicating that Om Birla, the previous Lok Sabha Speaker, may be renominated.
"Rajnath Singh yet to get back on Opposition demand for Dy speaker post,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has arrived at Parliament to meet Union Health Minister JP Nadda, stating, "There are many issues of the state. Our budget has also not been released... For the release of that budget, we are meeting Nadda ji," he said.
According to PTI sources, the Opposition INDIA bloc is unlikely to contest the Lok Sabha Speaker's post, with the NDA nominee expected to be elected unopposed. However, the Opposition has demanded the right to choose the deputy speaker.
Congress leader Gowaal Kagada Padavi took oath as the Lower House resumed its proceedings at 11 am today. He represents Nandurbar, Maharashtra.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati has launched a scathing attack on both the ruling party and the opposition, accusing them of collusion to divert public attention from critical issues.
In a statement, she alleged that both sides have jointly transformed the Constitution into a casteist, communal, and capitalist tool through numerous amendments.
"All these people seem to be two sides of the same coin and their thinking also seems to be almost similar and both of them together have now made this Constitution a casteist, communal and capitalist Constitution to a large extent through many amendments and I am talking about the internal collusion of the ruling party and the Opposition because both of them have failed miserably in removing the poverty, unemployment and inflation," she said.
"To divert the attention of the public from them, the drama of forcefully saving the Constitution is being done by the internal collusion of these two," she further added.
VIDEO | PM Narendra Modi arrives at Parliament.#parliamentsessions
(Full video available at PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/rHgX35j40u
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 25, 2024
Samajwadi Party Chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav reached Parliament on the second day of 18th Lok Sabha session. Nominations for Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker is slated to take place today.
#watch | Delhi: Samajwadi Party Chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav reaches Parliament.
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024
The nominations for Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker will take place today. pic.twitter.com/Xeo3hwD5NN
The ruling NDA alliance has yet to announce its candidate for Speaker, but there is speculation that Om Birla, who served as Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, may be nominated. Another potential contender is pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab.
The nomination process is scheduled for today, with elections set for June 26. Amid controversy over Mahtab's appointment as pro-tem speaker, leaders of the INDIA bloc protested on Monday inside the Parliament premises in the national capital, holding copies of the Constitution.
With the deadline nearing for the nomination of the Lok Sabha Speaker, senior cabinet minister Rajnath Singh has been engaging with Opposition leaders on behalf of the government to foster consensus for both the Speaker and deputy Speaker positions in the Lower House of Parliament, according to ANI sources.
Additionally, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has also been in contact with opposition leaders.
If the Opposition INDIA bloc announces its candidate, it would be the first time lower house Speaker elections are contested. Since independence, Speakers and deputy Speakers have typically been chosen through consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
J P Nadda, the BJP chief, has succeeded Piyush Goyal as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. Nadda, recently re-elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat in April, will now occupy seat number 1 in the Upper House. His nomination was formally submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar last week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media platform X on Tuesday to denounce the Congress party, reflecting on what he termed the 'dark days of Emergency.'
“Today is a day to pay homage to all those great men and women who resisted the Emergency. The #darkdaysofemergency remind us of how the Congress Party subverted basic freedoms and trampled over the Constitution of India which every Indian respects greatly,” he said.
“The mindset which led to the imposition of the Emergency is very much alive among the same Party which imposed it. They hide their disdain for the Constitution through their tokenism but the people of India have seen through their antics and that is why they have rejected them time and again,” he added.
281 new members will take their oaths on Tuesday as the house proceedings resume around 11 am. Key leaders scheduled to be sworn in at Parliament today include Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mahua Moitra, Supriya Sule, and Kanimozhi.
The Lok Sabha showcased linguistic diversity as newly elected MPs took their oaths in English and various Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Dogri, Bengali, Assamese, and Odia.Prime Minister Modi took his oath in Hindi, greeted by slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" from the treasury benches. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan faced chants of "NEET-NET" from opposition members amid controversy over entrance examinations, placing the government under scrutiny.