June 26, 07:43 (IST)
Parliamentary broadcast: Parliamentary broadcast means not only oaths but also slogans
The second day of swearing-in in the Indian Lok Sabha was a day of religious prayers and farce. The BJP’s repeated chants of “Jai Shri Ram” caused much laughter, while enthusiasm in the ruling camp was dampened by the Samajwadi Party’s introduction of its MP from Ayodhya (Faizabad), a bitter defeat for the BJP. The chants dominated the day’s proceedings, but AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s praise of Palestine after the swearing-in caused a belated BJP protest, sparking a minor ruckus. The opposition protested that BJP’s Bareilly MP Chhatrapal Gangwar’s remarks of “Jai Hindu Rashtra” were “unconstitutional.”
After Owaisi’s oath, complete with Islamic battle cries, the proceedings proceeded smoothly and he sat firmly in his seat. But Shobha Karandraj asked if the Hyderabad veteran’s call for Palestine was an afterthought. His colleague Eknath Shinde and Chief Minister Ramesh joined in, and a commotion ensued. Owaisi, who sat down, stuck to his guns. But Speaker Radha Mohan Singh clarified that only the oath would be recorded and urged the members not to create any fuss. Earlier, Interim Speaker Bhartulhari Mahtab had said that chants and calls should be avoided, but the members ignored that throughout the session.
Interestingly, when Owaisi’s name was called and he was about to step onto the podium, the BJP benches shouted slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Indian National Congress” as if to mock him. Later, BJP’s Arun Govil held up “Jai Shri Ram”, to which SP’s Dharmendra Yadav asked why the BJP was not opposing it, to which other MPs joined in. Dharmendra then yelled “Jai Awadesh” and, as if on cue, the Faizabad MP stood up with his hands raised in a mock nod to the rally, an exaggerated gesture that drew laughter from those around.
The debate continued. For the Opposition, the crowning moment came when Awadhesh Prasad’s name was called, at which point the opposition MPs shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and the BJP was silent. Though the Indian Union handed the BJP a heavy defeat in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Opposition has been using Faizabad to flaunt the saffron party’s defeat. It proved effective in the first two days of the Assembly.
