New Delhi: On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was among nine distinguished Members of Parliament who were sworn in as members of the Rajya Sabha. The ceremonial event occurred in the Rajya Sabha chamber within the esteemed Parliament House. Presiding over the ceremony was Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who administered the oath to the inductees.
For Mr. Jaishankar, this marks the commencement of his second term in the Rajya Sabha, having first secured his position in 2019. His oath of office was taken in English. Accompanying him from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai from Gujarat, Kesridevsinh Digvijaysinh Jhala, also representing Gujarat and Nagendra Ray from West Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress was represented by five MPs: Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Prakash Chik Baraik, and Samirul Islam. Notably, O’Brien, Sen, Islam, and Ray chose Bengali as the medium for their oaths, celebrating their linguistic heritage.
Out of the group that was sworn in, five members – Nagendra Ray, Prakash Chik Baraik, Samirul Islam, Kesridevsinh Digvijaysinh Jhala, and Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai – are embarking on their maiden journey as Rajya Sabha MPs. Highlighting India’s linguistic diversity, four MPs took their oaths in Bengali, three in the national language Hindi, and two, including Mr. Jaishankar, in English, as per a statement issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat.
The occasion also saw the presence of notable figures such as Piyush Goyal, the Leader of the House and Minister of Commerce and Industry, and P C Mody, Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, along with other senior officials from the secretariat. The event exemplified the democratic traditions and rich cultural tapestry of the nation.