On the inaugural day of the 18th Lok Sabha session, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a pointed statement by displaying a copy of the Indian Constitution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he approached the stage to take his oath as an MP. This gesture was captured in a video shared by the Congress party, where Gandhi can be seen holding up the Constitution while the Prime Minister took his oath.
In a brief interaction with reporters, Gandhi explained the significance of his act. “The attack that the PM and Amit Shah are launching on the Constitution is not acceptable to us, we will not let this happen. So, we held the Constitution while taking the oath. Our message is going across, no power can touch the Constitution of India,” he stated.
Prime Minister Modi, who has retained his Varanasi seat, was sworn in for his third consecutive term as Prime Minister earlier this month, along with his Council of Ministers on June 9. As the leader of the House, he was the first to take the oath in Hindi, amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram” from the treasury benches.
The first day of the 18th Lok Sabha’s session saw a significant display of unity from the INDIA bloc MPs, who assembled in the Parliament complex. Marching together to the Lok Sabha, they chanted slogans to “save the Constitution,” emphasizing their collective commitment to its preservation.
Key opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress’ Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and DMK’s TR Baalu, gathered at the former location of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined this demonstration of solidarity.
The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha commenced on Monday morning. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address is scheduled to begin on June 28, with Prime Minister Modi expected to respond to the debate on July 2 or 3.