International Desk

The first session of India’s newly-elected 18th Lok Sabha began on a note of belligerence as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at a resurgent opposition which hit back by accusing ruling BJP of “attacking” the Constitution.

Ahead of the session’s start, Modi, who was the first to take oath as MP being the Leader of the Lok Sabha, told the media in parliament complex that people have given his government mandate for a third consecutive term and have put a stamp of approval on its policies and intentions.

He noted that the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency in 1975 under Indira Gandhi rule falls on 25 June, and described it as a "black mark" on India's democracy when the Constitution was “completely rejected by suppressing democracy and the country was turned into a prison.”

Modis’ remarks were aimed at getting back at the opposition’s strategy, used with success in recent parliamentary elections, to stir up a fear about BJP planning to change the Constitution by the PM’s ‘ab ki baar 400 paar” slogan.

Modi said India needs a good and responsible opposition and people want substance and not slogans. He said the people of the country expect the opposition to play their role to the fullest while maintaining the dignity of democracy.

On the other hand, opposition lawmakers, buoyed by a significant increase in their number, were seen holding up copies of the Constitution book as Modi walked up to take oath as the member of the House. Talking about the display in parliament, Rahul said it was done to show that the attack by “the PM and Amit Shah on the Constitution is not acceptable to us, we will not let this happen”.

In a show of strength ahead of the swearing in of newly-elected MPs, the opposition lawmakers belonging to Congress, Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnera Kazagham, staged a protest in parliament complex waving copies of the Constitution. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav then led his team of MPs into the House, all holding the Constitution.

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha following the general elections will run till 3 July. In the elections, BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats with BJP alone getting 234 while INDIA bloc won 234 seats, and Congress held 99 of them.

In sharp contrast to the opposition’s badly reduced presence in the Lok Sabha in the last decades when BJP enjoyed commanding majority, the opening day of the new Lok sabha yesterday saw the opposition MPs occupying more than one third of the House benches.

The combative mood of the opposition was also on display when they shouted "shame shame” slogans when Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was taking oath in the backdrop of irregularities in two key competitive examinations for admission in medical courses and recruitment of college teachers.

With BJP failing to secure a majority on its own in this year’s election and being dependent on allies to cobble up the majority for the NDA coalition government, Modi spoke of consensus politics as he moved along. In a statement to the media prior to taking oath as MP, Modi said “while a majority is necessary to run a government, consensus is crucial to govern a country” and it would be his endeavor to serve with everyone's consent and taking everyone along.

The standoff between the ruling party and the opposition was also evident when Congress and INDIA bloc MPs refrained from assisting in the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MPs, expressing dissatisfaction over the appointment of BJP lawmaker Bhartruhari Mehtab as pro-tem Speaker instead of senior and eight-time Congress MP K Suresh.

Another faceoff is expected when the election for the Lok Sabha Speaker takes place on 26 June. The Speaker is chosen by a simple majority vote.

The first session is expected to be stormy as the opposition aims to corner the Modi government on alleged question paper leaks in key examinations for admission into MBBS courses and recruitment of entry-level college teachers conducted by the government’s agency.

The opposition also intends to confront the government on issues like food inflation and a train accident in West Bengal recently.