Lok Sabha Session LIVE: Hello and welcome to the ABP News Live Blog. Stay tuned for all the latest updates pertaining to the proceedings of the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha started on June 24, which witnessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi take oath as the Member of Parliament for the third time in a row. The 18th Lok Sabha session was held on Monday after the Lok Sabha polls concluded on June 4.
After PM Modi, the Council of Ministers were administered oath by pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, who was appointed by President Droupadi Murmu. Thereafter, the newly elected MPs were sworn in as members of the Lower House in the alphabetical order of the names of the state, starting from Assam.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari also took oath at the session.
Among the Council of Ministers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are members of the Rajya Sabha. Ministers of state George Kurian and Ravneet Singh are not members of either of the two House.
Before the session commenced, the MPs of the opposition’s INDIA bloc gathered in the Parliament complex and marched to the Lok Sabha together, showing strength and raising slogans to save Constitution with its copies in their hands.
This move by the opposition MPs was critcised by the NDA leaders who said that they should now consider how to take the country on the path of progress and ending political matters since the elections are over.
Congress also objected to Mahtab’s appointment as the pro-tem Speaker, contending that the claim of Congress leader Suresh, a Dalit leader and eight-term member was overlooked.
As a mark of protest, the I.N.D.I.A bloc said that the opposition leaders Suresh, Baalu and Bandopadhyay would not join the panel of chairpersons, who are appointed to assist the pro-tem Speaker in administering oath to members.
Stay tuned for all the live updates pertaining to the first Lok Sabha session of the 18th Lok Sabha