Glimpses of the first day in the House

NEW DELHI, March 23: The 12th Lok Sabha got down to business today, beginning with the solemn and mundane task of oath-taking.Led by Prime M...

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NEW DELHI, March 23: The 12th Lok Sabha got down to business today, beginning with the solemn and mundane task of oath-taking.

Led by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the newly-elected MPs spent the day being sworn in as members of the House. Much of tomorrow will also be taken up by the exercise, followed by the election of the Speaker.

Former Home Minister Indrajit Gupta is temporarily handling the duties of the Speaker, having been sworn in as pro-tem Speaker by President KR Narayanan. Welcoming the members, Gupta reminded them of their responsibility.

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Later Lok Sabha Secretary General S Gopalan laid the book containing the names of all members on the table of the House.

Vajpayee, followed immediately by Leader of Opposition Sharad Pawar and then his own Cabinet, took the oath in Hindi. In the course of the day, the House heard the oath being taken in a number of languages.

Many members stuck to the language of their respective States. A few like Rita Verma and Lal Behari Tewari (both BJP)asked for the Sanskrit version of the text of the oath. The Sanskrit phrase, Ayushman Bhave (May you live long), was heard on a few occasions after the members read their oath. A Congress member was heard saying it after Labour Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya took his oath, apparently reminding the BJP-led coalition about their precarious hold. The BJP-led coalition is scheduled to face a floor test shortly.

The same blessing was showered on Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Laloo Prasad Yadav also. The former Bihar chief minister, seated with his partymen, looked quite comfortable after making the transition from the State Legislative Assembly. In the post-lunch session, he moved nearer to the front benches.

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BJP MPs, so used to sitting in the Opposition, also seemed to have got used to the Treasury benches within a very short time. PA Sangma, who had the best seat in the House as its Speaker till recently, made do with a middle row seat.

Former Prime Ministers, Inder Kumar Gujral and HD Deve Gowda, alsoseemed to be reconciled to the change.

The State-by-State oath-taking of members passed off without many interruptions. Members produced the certificate proving they had been elected to the new House, took their oath, shook hands with the Chairman of the House, signed a scroll and offered a namaste or two at the heavyweights in the front benches.