Narendra Modi’s statement and first day of parliament

New Delhi, 4 June, 2014

Ahead of the first day of Parliament session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave statement to media outside Parliament house in which he said: “The people of India have voted in unprecedented numbers, blessed their representatives and elected the sixteenth Lok Sabha. Today is its first day. I assure the people of this country that in this temple of democracy, every effort will be made to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common man of India. My best wishes to fellow Indians.”

In parliament:

A nine-term MP, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath(67) was sworn-in as the pro-tem Speaker of the newly constituted Lok Sabha by President Pranab Mukherjee at a simple function in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of State (Parliamentary Affairs) Santosh K Gangwar. The Protem Speaker performs the duties of the office of the Speaker from the commencement of the sitting of the Lok Sabha till the election of the Speaker.

Shortly after that the Lok Sabha paid homage to late Union Minister Gopinath Munde who passed away on Tuesday in a car crash in Delhi.

After observing a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed member, the House was adjourned for the day.

Nath said the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will decide the Leader of the Opposition and this would happen day after tomorrow.

New elected MPs will take oath in Lok Sabha tomorrow from 11.00 am onwards.