M. Venkaiah Naidu was sworn in as the new Vice-President on Friday.
In a brief ceremony at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Mr. Naidu in the presence of top political leaders and dignitaries.
The 68-year-old former Union Minister, who took his oath in Hindi and in the name of God, is the 15th Vice-President of the country but the 13th individual to be sworn in.
His immediate predecessor, M. Hamid Ansari, and the first Vice-President, S. Radhakrishnan, held the Constitutional post for two consecutive terms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP president Amit Shah were among the guests at the Durbar Hall.
The invitees included the Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States and those of Bihar and Delhi, Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal, respectively. Senior Opposition leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mulayam Singh, D. Raja and Tariq Anwar too attended the swearing-in. Mr. Naidu’s wife, M. Usha, was present.
Soon after the official ceremony, Mr. Naidu went to the Rajya Sabha, where he will now preside over its proceedings as the Chairman.
Crucial role
His role in the functioning of the Upper House will be crucial as the Opposition’s numerical strength is higher than that of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Noting that “obstruction and disruption of proceedings is increasingly being chosen as the first Parliamentary option”, Mr. Naidu said, “All that the people desire is that Parliament should be the voice of sanity echoing their concerns and finding solutions to their problems. Over the years, both the Houses of Parliament have done a reasonably good job. But somehow there is a growing concern and resentment among the people over our functioning.”
Quoting the former President Pranab Mukherjee, Mr. Naidu said Parliament should be for debate, discussion and dissent.
“There should no room for the fourth D or disruption,” said Mr. Naidu.
The former BJP leader, who was once the national president of the BJP, described himself as an “all-party man now who is above politics”.
Earlier, when the proceedings of the House started at 11 a.m., Mr. Naidu walked in to a standing ovation.
The Prime Minister himself welcomed Mr. Naidu in the Rajya Sabha, and described him as a person well versed in the intricacies of Parliamentary procedures.
Twin responsibilities
Welcoming the new Chairman, Ghulam Nabi Azad who leads the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said every member should have the freedom to speak as the Rajya Sabha had a “dual responsibility of representing the MLAs and the legislatures that elected them and the people who elected the MLAs”.
Sitaram Yechury, also from Andhra Pradesh like Mr. Naidu, briefly spoke in Telugu before switching over to English to say the new Chairman should ensure “truth and justice.”