The Lok Sabha on Monday was a testament to India’s linguistic diversity as newly-elected MPs took their oaths in various languages, including English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Dogri, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu, and Kannada.
The ceremony was a celebration of the country’s rich language heritage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking his oath in Hindi, was greeted with slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” from the treasury benches. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, among others, also took their oaths in Hindi. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, MP from Odisha’s Sambalpur, took his oath in Odia, while Muralidhar Mohol, MP from Pune, took his oath in Marathi. Suresh Gopi, the first BJP MP to be elected from Kerala, took his oath in Malayalam, invoking the gods before doing so.
Amit Shah (Via Amit Shah/Twitter)
As Pradhan proceeded to take his oath, members of the Opposition chanted “NEET, NEET”, referring to the controversy over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG). Shripad Yesso Naik, the Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy, took his oath in Sanskrit, while Sukanta Majumdar, the Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, took his oath in Bengali. Jitender Singh, Union Minister and MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, took his oath in Dogri. Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister and MP from Assam’s Dibrugarh, took his oath in Assamese, while Rammohan Naidu, Aviation Minister and MP from Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam, took his oath in Telugu. Steel and Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi took their oaths in Kannada, while Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy took his oath in Telugu.
Earlier in the day, Bhartruhari Mahtab took his oath as a member of the new Lower House as well as Pro-tem Speaker at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony was a celebration of the country’s linguistic diversity and showcased the MPs’ willingness to take their oaths in their respective mother tongues.
