Flavour of Bihar’s diversity marks Day 1 of new House

PATNA: The 17th Vidhan Sabha assembled on Monday with eight ministers and 190 new members of the state legislative assembly being sworn-in by Pro-tem Speaker Jitan Ram Manjhi in the central hall of the new legislature building in the presence of CM Nitish Kumar.
On the first day of the five-day session, several legislators drew attention as they entered the House, some for the first time, showcasing their unique individual style or the region they represent.
From putting on the beautifully adorned ‘Mithila paag’, the colourful ethnic headgear from the region, to arriving in a vintage car, and newly-elected legislators taking oath in various languages, including Sanskrit, Urdu and Maithili — the MLAs showcased the cultural diversity of the state.
While a majority of the legislators opted for Hindi, Urdu and Maithili to take the oath, Congress MLA from Kadwa, Shakeel Ahmad Khan, stunned everyone by taking oath in Sanskrit. His colleagues appreciated the gesture by thumping their desks. Ratnesh Sada, elected from Sonbarsa, and Mithilesh Kumar from Sitamarhi also opted for Sanskrit.
“I took oath in Sanskrit because I wanted to affirm that this language is also equally important,” Khan later said outside the House.
Talking to TOI, Shakeel said India has different shades, and all shades should be celebrated. “Let us celebrate the diversity of our country and let us shower love on one another. By opting for Sanskrit, I wanted to give the message of the need for celebrating this diversity. In the last few years, I am witnessing that hatred is being promoted in politics, which is dangerous,” Shakeel added.
Among those who took the oath in Maithili are MLAs Vinod Narayan Jha, Nitish Mishra and Arun Shekhar while RJD member Chetan Anand (son of Lovely Anand) took the oath in English. Hindi, English, Urdu, Maithili and Sanskrit are the five languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution for taking the oath.
MLC Devesh Chandra Thakur accompanied by another MLC Sanjay Jha came in a vintage car and instantly became the centre of attraction for the lensmen.
Among the legislators from Mithila who wore the traditional headgear was BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur. “Mithila region is culturally advanced, but a lot of development work needs to be done. Through this paag, I want to bring attention to Mithila,” Thakur said.
Among the ministers who took the oath were deputy CMs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi as well as Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Sheila Kumari, Ramprit Paswan, Ram Swarath Kumar Rai and Amrendra Pratap Singh. The CM and ministers Mangal Pandey, Ashok Choudhary and Santosh Kumar Suman are MLCs. While Mewa Lal Choudhary has resigned as education minister, animal husbandry minister Mukesh Sahani is not a member of any House yet.
“In all, nine ministers and 190 MLAs were to take oath on Monday, and the remaining on Tuesday,” state assembly secretariat secretary Rajkumar Singh said, adding Jiwesh Mishra could not make it on Monday.
The 105 first-time MLAs were all excited to enter inside the House and take the oath. Two of them, Sumit Kumar Singh and Paswan Kumar Yadav, bowed on the steps under the portico before entering the House. The newly-elected MLAs were also carrying their winning certificates to be shown before entering the assembly.
Debutant BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh arrived clad in red and black salwar suit. Talking to a TV channel, she said, “I am excited and a bit nervous, but have come with energy to work. I will fulfil the promises I have made to people of Jamui and work for the development of all castes and religions. I will see that the NDA government’s policies are implemented. We have a big fight against illiteracy and unemployment.”
First-time Congress MLA from Rajapakar, Pratima Kumari said, “I am very happy and am thankful to the people of Rajapakar for choosing me. I will fulfil my duty with responsibility.”