Yogi, four ministers take oath as Parishad members
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his four ministerial colleagues took oath as the members of the Vidhan Parishad here on Monday.
Vidhan Parishad chairman Ramesh Yadav admistered the oath to all the five newly-elected members in a 15-minute simple ceremony at Tilak Hall at 11 am.
Apart from Adityanath, the four others who took the oath were deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, minister of state (independent charge) for transport Swatantra Dev Singh and minister of state for minority welfare Mohsin Raza. They all were elected to the upper house unopposed on September 8. They had to seek election to fulfil the mandatory Constitutional requirement wherein a person has to be elected to either house of the legislature within six months of his appointment as a minister. Talking to media persons, deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya thanked the MLCs who vacated their seats in the Legislative Council to pave way for the ministers to get elected. Later, the government brought a white paper to showcase its achievements in the last six months.
WHEN RAZA CUT A SORRY FIGURE
Minister of state for minority welfare Mohisin Raza had to cut a sorry figure when he faltered while taking oath as MLC. He wrongly pronounced Vidhan Parishad as Vidhan Sabha Parishad twice. Minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna had to correct him even as the chief minister was seen whispering something into his years after he proceeded to his chair after taking oath.