BJP’s Jyotiraditya Scindia greets his former Congress colleagues Digvijaya Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad before the oath-taking ceremony to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. (Picture Source: PTI)
BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia came face-to-face with his former Congress colleagues, including Digvijaya Singh, as he took the oath of office in the Rajya Sabha chamber while following physical distancing norms on Wednesday.
Scindia and Singh were among the 45 newly-elected Members of Parliament who took oath in the presence of Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Scindia was seen greeting Singh and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament before the oath-taking ceremony.
Watch: Jyotiraditya Scindia greets Congress leaders before taking oath as RS member pic.twitter.com/MEXFIMRQO4
Scindia and Singh have been at loggerheads ever since the former quit the grand old party in March. Scindia had defected to the BJP along with 22 other MLAs after the erstwhile Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh allegedly denied him a ticket to the Rajya Sabha in favour of Singh and by not choosing his choice of MPs in the state cabinet. His defection led to the fall of the Congress government in the state and brought back Shivraj Singh Chouhan into the Chief Minister’s position.
राज्यसभा में आज शपथ लेने वाले सभी सांसदों को मेरी ओर से हार्दिक बधाई । मुझे पूरा विश्वास है कि हम सभी मिलकर संसद के उच्च सदन की गरिमा को बढ़ाने के साथ-साथ, देश और अपने प्रदेश के विकास के लिए अपनी आवाज़ को बुलंद करेंगे।
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) July 22, 2020
Following Scindia’s desertion, Singh had said he won’t get the same respect and treatment in the saffron party as he got in the Congress because he had spoken out against the RSS in the past. Scindia also took jibes at Singh and former CM Kamal Nath, saying that the two were hurt because the Congress lost power in the state. Referring to the Congress’s social media campaign against him over the last couple of months, he had said, “They have tried to sully my image…. Tiger abhi zinda hai (the tiger is still alive).”
During the oath-taking ceremony, Chairman Naidu urged newly-elected members, including 36 first-timers, not to fall prey to disruptions and to uphold rules and procedures while discharging their duties as lawmakers. He also said the new MPs will be nominated in committees soon.