Monsoon session: 28 MPs take oath in RS on first day

New Delhi, July 18: On the first day of the Monsoon session, 28 MPs including cricketer-turned-politician Harbhajan Singh and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla took oath as Rajya Sabha members.

Others included A Rao Meena, Vijay Sai Reddy, Kheeru Mahto, Shambhala Saran Patel, Ranjeet Ranjan, Maharashtra Majhi, Aditya Prasad, Praful Patel, Imran Pratapgarhi, Sanjay Raut, Sasmit Patra, Sandeep Kumar Pathak and Vikramjeet Singh Sahani. Randeep Singh Surjewal, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, R Girl Rajan, S Kalyan Sundaram, KRN Rajesh Kumar, Javed Ali Khan, V Vijendra Prasad were others among those who took the oath on Monday.

However, legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja and former athlete PT Usha were not present in the Rajya Sabha to take the oath due to some reasons. Newly elected members from different political parties took oath on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

Later, obituary references were read in respect of several dignitaries who passed away recently. The Rajya Sabha also paid homage to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ex-UAE president Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and former Kenayan president Mwai Kibaki.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on a stormy note with the opposition demanding discussion on issues ranging from price rise to the Agnipath scheme.

Congress member, in Rajya Sabha, trooped to the Well of the House raising slogans as soon as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu read out the obituary references. "As some people have come determined not to allow the House to function and also enable members to go and vote in the Presidential election, I am adjourning the House for the day," Naidu said.