New Delhi:

Being sworn in as a Lok Sabha MP for the second time, BJP leader Ravi Kishan ended his oath by invoking a yogi, chanting a Hindu religious mantra and shouting a slogan praising the Bhojpuri language and the people who speak it.

After taking oath, the actor-politican said, “Baba Gorakhnath Maharaj ki jai, Har Har Mahadev” and was joined by other MPs in the House for the Mahadev chant. He then said “Jai Bhojpuri” and smiled before shaking hands with MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, who was presiding at the time, and walking off the podium. Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, Mr Kishan’s constituency, is known for the Gorakhnath Temple.

The BJP leader won from Gorakhpur for the second consecutive time but his margin was reduced to 1 lakh votes from 3 lakh in 2019. This was in line with the BJP’s poor performance in Uttar Pradesh, where its tally was reduced to 33 Lok Sabha seats from 62 in 2019. The results came as a shock to the BJP, which also became the second-largest party in the state in terms of Lok Sabha seats, behind the Samajwadi Party.

Before Mr Kishan’s swearing-in, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi sparked controversy by expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine after taking oath as the Hyderabad MP for the fifth time. Members of the treasury benches objected to this and were assured by Radha Mohan Singh, who was chairing the proceedings at the time, that any statements beyond the formal oath would not be recorded.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr Owaisi said, “Other members are also saying different things. I said ‘Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine’. How is it wrong? Tell me the provision of the  Constitution. You should also listen to what others said. I said what I had to. Read what Mahatma Gandhi had said about Palestine.”