The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on Monday, which will see a resurgent opposition put the new government on the dock for the controversies surrounding the NEET irregularities.
The session will also see the new MPs take the oath or make affirmation over the next two days before the Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab and the panel of chairpersons. The new Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected on Wednesday.
President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to address the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, setting out the agenda of the NDA government for the next five years. Both Houses will take up the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, which will be replied to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 2-3.
However, unlike the last two terms, the opposition which has become stronger this time is likely to counter the government on multiple issues, including NEET irregularities. The Congress-led parties have already accused the government of incompetence for the exam cancellations happening every day.
The INDIA bloc has already raised protests over the appointment of the pro-tem speaker and has made it clear that they would not assist Mahtab in administering oaths to newly elected Lok Sabha members.
The Congress had protested Mahtab's appointment as a pro-tem speaker, stating that "by convention, the MP who has served the maximum terms is appointed pro-tem speaker for the first two days when the oath is administered to all newly elected MPs. Party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh claimed that the senior most MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha were Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress) and Virendra Kumar (BJP), who are both now serving their 8th term.
Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc MPs will assemble in the Parliament complex Monday morning and will march to the House together on the first day of the first session. The MPs will gather near Gate No 2 of the old Parliament building, where the Gandhi statue once stood, a senior opposition party leader said.
The Gandhi statue, which was a popular protest site for MPs in the Parliament complex, was recently relocated along with 14 other statues that dotted the complex. All these were installed in one area, Prerna Sthal. The politician said some MPs will hold copies of the Constitution of India and they will all walk down to the Parliament building.
This session will conclude on July 3 and reassemble for the monsoon session on July 22.
