From Urdu to Sanskrit: MLAs take oath in six languages as De
From Urdu to Sanskrit: MLAs take oath in six languages as Delhi Assembly session begins
The first session of the newly constituted Delhi Assembly began on Monday with MLAs of the ruling BJP and opposition AAP demonstrating the linguistic diversity of the legislature by taking their oaths in six languages
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta takes oath as an MLA on
the first day of the first session of the Delhi Assembly, in New Delhi, Monday,
Feb. 24, 2025. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)
NEW DELHI — The first session of the newly constituted Delhi Assembly began on
Monday with MLAs of the ruling BJP and opposition AAP demonstrating the
linguistic diversity of the legislature by taking their oaths in six languages
- Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Maithili and Punjabi.
The session also marked the BJP's return to power after
26 years and its shift to the right side of the Speaker's chair.
First day of the first session of the Delhi Assembly, in New Delhi, Monday,
Feb. 24, 2025. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)
BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely was sworn in as the pro-tem
Speaker of the eighth Assembly and administered the oath by Lieutenant Governor
Vinai Kumar Saxena at the Raj Niwas before the session began. As the
senior-most legislator, Lovely oversaw the swearing-in of all newly elected
MLAs.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was the first to take the
oath, followed by her six Cabinet ministers. Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib
Singh Verma and Home Minister Ashish Sood were the next in line. Environment
Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa took his oath in Punjabi, while Law and Justice
Minister Kapil Mishra opted for Sanskrit.
Several other MLAs took oaths in different languages.
Karnail Singh took oath in Punjabi, while Pradyumn Rajput and Neelam Pahalwan
chose Sanskrit. BJP's Tarvinder Marwah chanted religious slogans after reading
the printed text, to which the Speaker objected, reminding him that it was not
a Gurudwara.
Amanatullah Khan (Urdu), Chandan Chaudhary (Maithili),
Ajay Dutt (English), and Gajendra Yadav (Sanskrit) also took their oaths, with
the Speaker consistently instructing members to follow the official oath
format.
Other MLAs who took their oaths in Sanskrit included
Sanjay Goel, Jitendra Mahajan, Ajay Mahawar, and BJP's Karnail Singh, while
Chaudhary Zubair and Amanatullah Khan chose Urdu. Leader of Opposition and MLA
from the Kalkaji seat, Atishi also took oath.
Gopal Rai, due to difficulty in walking, took the oath
from his seat, assisted by Atishi. Mohan Singh Bisht was the last MLA to be
sworn in. Anil Jha took his oath in Maithili.
The election for the new Speaker is set to take place
later in the day, with BJP MLA Vijender Gupta likely to assume the position.
The BJP secured a decisive victory in the February 5
Assembly elections, winning 48 of the 70 seats and ending the decade-long rule
of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won 22 seats.
In a unanimous decision, AAP MLAs elected former Delhi
chief minister Atishi as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
