AAP enters Rajya Sabha as 3 of its MPs take oath

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday made its maiden entry into the Rajya Sabha with three of its new MPs taking oath along with union minister Hardeep Singh Puri of the BJP.

Puri, the union minister of state for Housing and Urban development, represents the state of Uttar Pradesh from where he was elected recently.

The AAP entrants -- Narain Das Gupta, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sanjay Singh, also took the oath of affirmation. They represent the state of NCT Delhi in the Upper House. With this, AAP has made its maiden entry into the Rajya Sabha.

Puri was the first to take the oath in Hindi. He was followed by Narain Das Gupta, who took oath in English, while Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sanjay Singh took it in Hindi.

They greeted the members and shook hands with Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu after taking the oath.

All the new members thereafter signed the register and took their seats. AAP members have been allotted seats in the last row on the opposition side.

AAP lawmakers boycott President’s speech in Parliament

AAP MPs on Monday boycotted President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to a joint sitting of the Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session, as a protest against the disqualification of 20 party MLAs.

Aam Aadmi Party Lok Sabha members Sadhu Singh, Bhagwant Mann and Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Singh, Sushil Gupta and N.D. Gupta raised slogans near a Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises, holding placards.

They were protesting against a sealing drive in Delhi, the Central government’s decision of allowing FDI in single-brand retail and the Election Commission’s decision to disqualify 20 Delhi AAP MLAs.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) shouted “will not allow dictatorship in democracy”.

Referring to the disqualification of MLAs, Sanjay Singh told reporters “there cannot be two laws in the country”.