New Delhi: From ‘Jai Bhim’, ‘Jai Palestine’, and ‘Jai Kali’ to ‘Jai Hindu Rashtra’, ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and ‘ Narendra Modi Zindabad‘ — the newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 18th Lok Sabha raised a bunch of slogans during their swearing-in at the newly built Parliament building.
The new building witnessed an uproar several times as MPs raised slogans while taking their oath, and their counterparts from other parties attempted to counter by shouting a different set of slogans aloud.
Apart from slogans, several MPs, especially from the Opposition, carried a copy of the Constitution to the ceremony since the INDIA election campaign focussed on saving the Constitution. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi showed the red-coloured pocket edition of the Constitution and said — ‘Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan’ — while taking his oath.
Many MPs also turned up in traditional wear. Anita Nagarsingh Chouhan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Madhya PrAdesh’s Ratlam, wore hand jewellery and silver necklaces and took her oath as a first-time member in a chalk blue and maroon outfit. Later, she touched the feet of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Other MPs took their oath in their first language. The Independent MP from Bihar’s Purnia, Pappu Yadav, began with ‘Salaam Bihar, Johar Bihar’ and took his oath entirely in the Maithili language.
He concluded with slogans demanding a retaking of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) and special category status for Bihar. When the Treasury Bench members objected to his speech, he hit out, saying he is a six-time MP and needs no lessons: “You were winning on ‘kripa (pity)’, and I won four times independently. So, don’t tell me.”
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi took his oath in Urdu and expressed solidarity with Palestine. When Owaisi raised the slogan — ‘Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine‘ — the Treasury Bench objected.
Defending his stance outside the Parliament, Owaisi later said, “Other members are also saying different things. How is it wrong? Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine.”
“We do not have any enmity with Palestine or any other country. While taking the oath, is it proper for any member to raise the slogan praising another country? We will have to check the rules if it is appropriate….,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said outside the Parliament.
BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, Chhatra Pal Singh Gangwar, also found himself in hot waters when he concluded his oath with ‘Jai Hindu Rashtra, Jai Bharat‘.
Opposition MPs reacted, calling his statement Samvidhaan Virodhi, i.e., against the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav were inside the Lok Sabha during Gangwar’s statement.
BJP MP from Ghaziabad Atul Garg raised the slogans — ‘Atal Bihari Zindabad’, ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Zindabad’ and ‘Narendra Modi Zindabad’.
Opposition MPs opposed this, but Garg retorted by raising another slogan — ‘Dr Hedgewar Zindabad’ — referring to Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
First-time MP Arun Govil, who won from Meerut, took his oath in Sanskrit and said ‘Jai Shree Ram’.
However, when Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee took his oath and raised the slogan of ‘Mamata Banerjee Zindabad‘, the MPs from the ruling party countered with ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans and Banerjee reacted with ‘Jai Jagannath, Jai Kali’.
Pro-tem Speaker Bhatruhari Mahtab announced that the Parliament records would reflect only the oath (not the slogans). The rules allow MPs to take their oath or affirmation in English or any of the twenty-two languages specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Voicing concerns
Several leaders took their oath in the last two days of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
When Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who won from Odisha’s Sambalpur, stood up to take his oath, Opposition MPs raised slogans against the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
First-time Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) MP Chandrashekhar Azad, who won from UP’s Nagina, took his oath dressed in a blue-colour outfit while holding a copy of the Constitution. He concluded his oath with “Jai Bhim, Jai Bharat, Jai Samvidhaan, Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan“.
Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam raised concerns over the violence-stricken state of Manipur. During the ceremony, Rahul Gandhi passed him a copy of the Constitution, which Akoijam lifted in his right hand.
BJP MP from Yogi Adityanath’s turf of Gorakhpur, Ravi Kisan, ended his oath with a Mahadev chant in Bhojpuri.
This is not the first time MPs raised such slogans during the oath-taking ceremony — several Treasury and Opposition MPs did the same during the 17th Lok Sabha swearing-in.
BJP MP from Mathura Hema Malini concluded her oath in 2019 with ‘Radhey Radhey‘ and a phrase from a ‘shloka’ in praise of Lord Krishna.
In 2019, AAP’s lone MP Bhagwant Mann ended his oath with ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, and Owaisi responded, saying ‘Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Takbeer Allahu Akbar, Jai Hind’.
TMC MPs, in 2019, as well, countered ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans with ‘Jai Bengal’, ‘Jai Maa Durga’, and ‘Jai Mamata’. Kalyan Banerjee then too recited ‘Durga Path’ during his oath-taking ceremony.
In 2019, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP praised Periyar, Kaliangar and Ambedkar, and the chair, in response, said that only the prescribed format of the oath should be on record.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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