President spends time with MPs after his maiden joint session address

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday spent time meeting the MPs after his maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session.

Soon after getting down from the podium, the President, in a special gesture, went to meet personally the leaders seated in the front row.

He shook hands with the male members of Parliament, while greeted women leaders like former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani with folded hands.

President Kovind also enquired Sonia Gandhi about her health and shook hands with Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav while leaving the Central Hall of Parliament.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi was given front-row seat with party leader Mallikarjun Kharge and union minister Narendra Singh Tomar. To their left, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, and former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Devegowda were seated in the row.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad were seated in front row at the centre.

BJP President Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari were sitting together. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was seated behind them.

Interestingly, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi seated in the last row and was seen chatting with BJP MP Poonam Mahajan. Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey was also sat in the last row.

However, attendance of the members was thin as the two rows in the back were vacant. Many chairs remained vacant until the end.

Rahul Gandhi was seen talking with Kharge and Anand Sharma when members of the treasury benches were thumping the desk on the achievements of the government being recounted by the President in his speech. Rahul also talked for a while with mother Sonia.

After the President left the hall, Rahul Gandhi held hands of mother Sonia and Advani to give them space to leave their seats.

He was also seen discussing some issues with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha separately.

--IANS

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