Bansuri honours mother’s legacy with oath in Sanskrit

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, June 24

In a notable display of linguistic heritage and diversity, Bansuri Swaraj, BJP MP from New Delhi, took her oath in Sanskrit during the swearing-in ceremony of the 18th Lok Sabha here today.

Following the footsteps of her late mother and former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Bansuri’s choice of language paid homage to her mother’s legacy.

Bansuri contested her first election from New Delhi, triumphing over AAP’s Somnath Bharti by a margin of 78,370 votes. Sushma had taken her oath in Sanskrit when she became the Minister of External Affairs in the first BJP-led Modi government formed in 2014.

Sushma secured the Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh for the second term in 2014 by a margin of over four lakh votes. Due to health concerns following kidney transplant, Sushma decided not to contest the 2019 General Election and passed away on August 6, 2019. Bansuri has replaced former Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi.

While Bansuri chose Sanskrit, other six MPs from Delhi took their oath in Hindi. Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and BJP MP for East Delhi, Harsh Malhotra, was the first MP from Delhi to take his oath among the group of ministers. Malhotra is the only MP from Delhi elevated to the position of the Minister of State. Following Malhotra, Praveen Khandelwal, BJP MP for Chandni Chowk; Manoj Tiwari, BJP MP for North East Delhi; Yogender Chandolia, BJP MP for North West Delhi; and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, BJP MP for West Delhi, each took their oaths in Hindi. Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, BJP MP for South Delhi, was the last from Delhi to take his oath, also in Hindi.