Seven, including BJP’s Tarun Chugh, take oath as Rajya Sabha members

New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan administered the oath to seven newly elected/re-elected members of the Upper House at Parliament House on Monday.

Tarun Chugh, as a BJP Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanzariya and Mansingh Meraman Parmar, as BJP Rajya Sabha members from Gujarat, M. Nagaraja as a BJP Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Rajendra Hiralal Jain as an NCP Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi alias Maimom Sharda Devi as a BJP Rajya Sabha member from Manipur and Alka Singh as a BJP Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, took the oath as members of the Upper House.

Ahead of taking the oath, Tarun Chugh visited Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. “Today, I have to take the oath as a Rajya Sabha member. Before that, I went to the historic Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, bowed my head and sought blessings,” he told the reporters.

Additionally, earlier in the day, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha after being re-elected to the Upper House from Karnataka.

The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan in his chamber in Parliament.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present during the oath-taking ceremony. Several senior leaders were also present on the occasion, including Health Minister and Leader of the House J.P. Nadda, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.

Taking to X after taking the oath, the Congress president said, “It is a matter of immense pride and responsibility to continue serving this august Upper House as the Leader of the Opposition.”

He also expressed gratitude to Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan and Deputy Chairman Harivansh for their continued support.

Kharge thanked Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Congress MPs, and party workers and supporters, whose unwavering faith and encouragement, he said, have “sustained me throughout my long journey in public life and Parliamentary service.”

“I am equally grateful to the Floor Leaders of all political parties, especially our colleagues in the INDIA bloc, and the wider Opposition, for their cooperation and camaraderie. I look forward to even stronger coordination during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament so that, together, we can make the government of the day more accountable,” he added.

The Congress president reiterated that the Opposition would continue to highlight issues affecting the people and ensure that their concerns receive due attention in Parliament.

“We will continue to raise the burning concerns, aspirations and voices of the people with sincerity, conviction and determination. That remains our foremost responsibility, and I shall discharge it with the utmost commitment,” he added.

–IANS

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