The first session of India’s parliament since the Lok Sabha elections begins today, with newly elected lawmakers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking oath.
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BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahatab will take oath as interim Speaker on the directions of President Draupadi Murmu. He will then ask the Prime Minister to take oath as a Member of the Lok Sabha. Around 280 newly elected MPs will take oath today while the remaining MP, MP Rahul Gandhi, will take oath tomorrow.
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The controversy is likely to intensify over the appointment of seven-time MP Bhartluhari Mahtab as interim speaker, a post traditionally held by the senior-most member of Parliament.
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The Indian National Congress, which had hoped that Dalit leader Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-time MP from Kerala, would be appointed interim chief, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for appointing Mahatab.
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The Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha will be elected on June 26. Until a new Speaker is elected, the Speaker pro tempore will preside over the first few sessions of the Indian Lok Sabha and conduct the elections for a new Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce the name of the new speaker on Wednesday, two days after the first meeting of the newly elected 18th Indian parliament. If the speaker is elected by a simple majority — unlikely to result in the BJP failing to get elected — there will be no interim speaker post.
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The Opposition is also expected to raise allegations of fraud in the competitive exams NEET and NET. Amid the intensifying controversy, the Central government on Saturday replaced National Testing Agency director Subodh Singh and set up a seven-member committee to review the agency’s functioning and recommend exam reforms.
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The government has also implemented stringent laws aimed at curbing cheating and irregularities in competitive examinations. Imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines up to Rs 1 crore for violators are some of the stringent measures under the act.
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The Indian National Congress held nationwide protests last week over the exam questions and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Indian National Congress member Rahul Gandhi raised the issue in Parliament, saying the opposition parties wanted the government to provide fair treatment to students.
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President Draupadi Murmu is scheduled to address a joint session of the Indian Parliament and the Indian Senate on June 27. She is likely to outline the new government’s roadmap for the next five years.
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This session will conclude on July 3 and they will meet again for the monsoon session on July 22.
