Members raise slogans during oath-taking

The oath-taking in the 17th Lok Sabha Tuesday was marked by raising of slogans such as Jai Shri Ram, Jai Maa Durga and Allahu Akbar by members with some even engaging in raillery and heated exchanges. The sloganeering went unabated ignoring the Chair's direction to desist from it.

Some of the members especially from West Bengal began their oath with sloganeering despite the presiding officer ruling that that no slogans will go on record. When the members from the West Bengal, especially those belonging to Trinamool Congress, took oath, those from the treasury benches teased them with 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan.

TMC members countered with slogans like Jai Hind, Jai Bengal, Jai Maa Durga and Jai Mamata. Kalyan Banerjee of TMC recited 'Durga Path' after concluding his oath while his party colleague Abu Taher Khan began his oath with'Bismillah, ar-Rahman, ar Rahim' and ended with Allahu Akbar.

Devendra Singh Bhole began with 'Om Namah Shivay', while Ravindra concluded his oath 'Jai Yogi, Jai Modi'. Nisith Pramanik came to the House with 'rajbongshi pagdi' and took oath in Bengali.

As West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee's name was called for oath, BJP members chanted Jai ShriRam. Responding to chanting by treasury benches, he said even Modiji is not so much popular in the House. Banerjee hoped that he will continue to get blessing from members of treasury benches.

Aprupa Poddar (TMC) took oath in Hindi and was applauded for this by members from BJP. However, she responded by saying that "don't you know that Hindi is our national language." Ravi Kishan, Bhopuri actor turned MP from Gorakhpur, took oath in a dramatic style, adding pauses with emphasis as he read the text. He chanted 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Guru Gorakhnath Ki Jai.' 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. BSP member Shyam Singh Yadav concluded his oath with 'Jai Bheem, Jai Bharat and Jai Samajwad'.

In vain, the Chair asked the members several times not to raise slogans. Taking a dig, Congress President Rahul Gandhi asked BJP Arun Kumar Sagar, who chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' twice, to raise the slogan "one more time".

Gandhi again repeated "one more time" after the next BJP MP Ajay Kumar also raised the slogan of "Bharat Mata ki Jai". Kumar than retorted he will raise the slogan again if 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 also raised a slogan, rebuffing a reminder to not to 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 (DMK supremo M Karunanidhi), Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar, the Chair ruled 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 from Mathura Hema Malini concluded her oath with 'Radhey, Radhey' and a phrase from shloka in praise of Lord Krishna.