The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha witnessed the oath-taking by newly elected members today, followed by election of the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu’s address to joint sitting of both the Houses on June 27.
President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The row over the appointment of BJP leader and seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro term Speaker is likely to cast a shadow over the session. The move has drawn flak from the Opposition, which alleged that the claim of Congress member K. Suresh to the post was overlooked by the government.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that Mr. Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as a Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post, while Mr. Suresh lost elections in 1998 and 2004 which makes his current term as the fourth straight one in the lower house. Earlier, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1991, 1996 and 1999
Minutes before the Session began PM Modi while addressing the media said, “In the last 10 years, we have always tried to implement a tradition because we believe that a majority is required to run the government but to run the country a consensus is of utmost importance. So, it will be our constant efforts to serve Maa Bharti and fulfill the aspirations and ambitions of the 140 crore people, with everyone’s consent and by taking everyone together. We want to go ahead and speed up decisions by taking everyone together, by maintaining the sanctity of the Constitution.”
This is the first sitting of the Parliament after General Elections 2024
