New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi`s
political secretary Ahmed Patel, CPI-M Polit Bureau member
Sitaram Yechury and six other newly elected members took oath
in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Patel, re-elected unopposed from Gujarat, took oath in
Hindi, while Yechury, re-elected from West Bengal, did so in
English.
TV artiste Smriti Irani and Dileep Pandey (both BJP) took
oath in Gujarati. They have been elected from Gujarat.
From West Bengal, Trinamool Congress leaders Debabrata
Bandhopadhyay, noted quiz-master Derek O` Brien, Sukhendu
Shekhar Roy and Srinjoy Bose, and Congress leader Pradip
Bhattacharya took oath in Bengali.
Welcoming them, Chairman M Hamid Ansari hoped "they will
contribute significantly to the Parliamentary proceedings and
enhance the prestige of the House."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present when the members
took oath.
PTI
