Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha. He was the first one to take oath as the leader of the House.
This is the third term of Modi as a member of the Lok Sabha. He retained the Varanasi seat, which he has been winning since 2014.
Besides Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari too took oath as a member of the House. Earlier in the day, B Mahtab took oath as a member of the new House as well as that of pro-tem speaker at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Ahead of taking the oath, Modi said people have given his government mandate for a third consecutive term and have put a stamp of approval on its policies and intentions. Reiterating the Centre's resolve of building a 'Shreshtha Bharat' and 'Viksit Bharat', Modi, while addressing the media in the Parliament complex at the beginning of the first session of the new Lok Sabha, said his government will take everyone along in fulfilling the aspirations of the people.
Modi also noted that the Emergency's 50th anniversary falls on June 25, and described it as a "black spot" in India's democracy when the Constitution was discarded.
He also took a jab at the opposition, stating that the people expected good steps from the opposition but it has been disappointing so far.
"India needs a responsible opposition and people want substance, not slogans. They want debate, diligence not disturbance in Parliament," he said in a jibe at the opposition.
Meanwhile, pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab accepted the resignation of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. Rahul decided to keep Raebareli Lok Sabha seat and leave Wayanad for Priyanka.
