NEW DELHI: It was the day of religious invocations and storms in the teacup on the second day of MPs oath-taking in the Lok Sabha. The repeated chants of Jai Shri Ram from BJP triggered much mirth as Samajwadi Party’s showcasing of its MP representing Ayodhya (Faizabad constituency), a sore defeat for BJP, checked the enthusiasm in the governing camp. Even as it dominated the proceedings through the day, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s hailing of Palestine after the oath triggered belated protests from BJP, leading to a minor disturbance. BJP’s Chhatrapal Gangwar from Bareilly said “Jai Hindu Rashtra”, which stoked protests from the opposition bench that called it “against the Constitution”.
The oath by Owaisi, who also used an Islamic war cry, was over and he was firmly ensconced in his seat with the proceedings smoothly under way, before Shobha Karandlaje questioned the invocation of Palestine by the Hyderabad veteran, in what was an afterthought. She was joined by NDA colleague Shrikant Shinde and C M Ramesh which led to some commotion. Sitting in his place, Owaisi stood his ground. But the Chair, Radha Mohan Singh, clarified only the oath was going on record, urging members to not create any disturbance. Earlier, pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab had said chants and invocations should be avoided, but it was ignored by the members throughout.
Interestingly, when Owaisi’s name was called out and he was proceeding to the podium, BJP benches raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans, as if to tease him. Later, when Arun Govil of BJP raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav asked why BJP was not objecting to it, and he was joined by others. Then, Dharmendra loudly shouted ‘Jai Awadhesh’ and the Faizabad MP, as if on cue, stood up with raised folded hands in mock acknowledgement of the assembly – a grandstanding that triggered laughter all around.
The to and fro continued. The icing on the opposition’s cake was when Awadhesh Prasad’s name was called. This time, the opposition benches broke into ‘Jai Shri Ram’, and the BJP side was mum. While INDIA bloc handed BJP a solid defeat in Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, it is the upstaging of the saffron party in Faizabad constituency that the opposition has been using to rub it in. It proved effective in Parliament for the first two days.
The plea for help for troubled regions attracted attention too. The oaths of Alfred ken-Ngam Arthur and Bimol Akoijam, MPs from Manipur, which has been roiled by ethnic conflict for over a year, led to lusty cheers of “Manipur, Manipur” from Congress and the opposition, with the members themselves seeking “justice for Manipur”. Meanwhile, Owaisi hailed Palestine.
The oath by Owaisi, who also used an Islamic war cry, was over and he was firmly ensconced in his seat with the proceedings smoothly under way, before Shobha Karandlaje questioned the invocation of Palestine by the Hyderabad veteran, in what was an afterthought. She was joined by NDA colleague Shrikant Shinde and C M Ramesh which led to some commotion. Sitting in his place, Owaisi stood his ground. But the Chair, Radha Mohan Singh, clarified only the oath was going on record, urging members to not create any disturbance. Earlier, pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab had said chants and invocations should be avoided, but it was ignored by the members throughout.
Interestingly, when Owaisi’s name was called out and he was proceeding to the podium, BJP benches raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans, as if to tease him. Later, when Arun Govil of BJP raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav asked why BJP was not objecting to it, and he was joined by others. Then, Dharmendra loudly shouted ‘Jai Awadhesh’ and the Faizabad MP, as if on cue, stood up with raised folded hands in mock acknowledgement of the assembly – a grandstanding that triggered laughter all around.
The to and fro continued. The icing on the opposition’s cake was when Awadhesh Prasad’s name was called. This time, the opposition benches broke into ‘Jai Shri Ram’, and the BJP side was mum. While INDIA bloc handed BJP a solid defeat in Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, it is the upstaging of the saffron party in Faizabad constituency that the opposition has been using to rub it in. It proved effective in Parliament for the first two days.
The plea for help for troubled regions attracted attention too. The oaths of Alfred ken-Ngam Arthur and Bimol Akoijam, MPs from Manipur, which has been roiled by ethnic conflict for over a year, led to lusty cheers of “Manipur, Manipur” from Congress and the opposition, with the members themselves seeking “justice for Manipur”. Meanwhile, Owaisi hailed Palestine.
