New RS members take oath

Classical dancer Sonal Mansingh, stone artist Raghunath Mohapatra, RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha and former MP Ram Shakal along with three elected members from Kerala on Wednesday took oath as members of the Rajya Sabha.

Soon after the proceedings of the House began, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu called the newly elected and nominated members to take oath of office.

Mansingh, Mohapatra, Sinha and Ram Shakal were nominated to the Upper House by President Ram Nath Kovind on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Besides them, Elamaram Kareem of CPI-M, Jose K. Mani and Binoy Viswam of CPI also took oath. All the three members were elected from Kerala.

The monsoon ession of Parliament began on Wednesday and will conclude on August 10.

The House also mourned the death of former members -- Vishwasrao Ramrao Patil, Mohammed Amin, Ashok Mitra, Balkavi Bairagi, Kameshwar Paswan, Shantaram Naik, Surinder Kumar Singla and M.M. Jacob.

The House also condemned the terror attack in Afghanistan's Jalalabad on July 1 that killed at least 20 people, including many Sikhs.

--IANS

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