New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for “reconciliation” after election failures forced him to form a coalition government.
The first assembly, which runs until July 3, is expected to review Modi’s plans for a third term and officially appoint Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the opposition – a vacancy since 2014.
Modi’s first two terms in office resulted in victories for the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BHJ), which allowed his government to negotiate legislation through parliament.
But now analysts expect Modi, 73, to placate his coalition partners and shift his Hindu-nationalist agenda to focus more on infrastructure, social welfare and economic reforms.
In his speech before entering parliament, Modi urged the opposition to play a constructive role.
“People expect their representatives to discuss and discuss matters of national importance […] they do not expect interruptions or disruptions in the work of parliament,” he said. “People want substance, not slogans.”
Modi took the oath of office as a member of parliament, jubilant supporters supported his desk and opposition members shook the constitution in protest.
Parliament Minister Kiren Rijiju called the session “peaceful and productive” on Monday, but Indian media said they expected a heated debate and a stronger opposition.
“All set,” read a headline in the Hindustan Times on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi, 54, has defied analysts’ expectations of helping the Congress party nearly double its parliamentary numbers, its best result since Modi came to power a decade ago.
Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers who have dominated Indian politics for decades, starting with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
Parliamentary rules require the opposition leader to come from a party that commands at least 10 percent of lawmakers in the 543-seat lower house.
The post has been vacant for 10 years, as two poor election results for Congress, India’s dominant party, removed it from contention.
Legislators are elected behind bars
The parliamentary session will begin with the swearing-in of newly elected members of parliament on the first two days. Many will see that two elected MPs behind bars will be allowed to join Modi’s staunch opponents.
One of them is preacher Amritpal Singh, who was arrested after a month-long police manhunt in Punjab state last year. The second is Sheikh Abdul Rashid, a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Indian-occupied Kashmir.
It is not known whether pledges will be issued for personal participation in the event.
Modi’s decade as prime minister has seen him become an aggressive champion of the country’s majority Hindu faith, to the detriment of the country’s minorities, which include the country’s 200 million Muslim community.
But his party won just 240 seats in this year’s polls, just 32 short of a majority in the lower house – its worst in a decade.
It relies on many forms of sub-party to organize the party. Modi did not change key positions in this government and dominated the cabinet.
This includes BJP stalwarts Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and S. Jaishankar, while the defense, home, transport, finance and external affairs ministers each remain in their posts.
But 11 jobs from the 71-member government were sent to coalition partners, who were kicked out in support, including five of the top 30 cabinet positions.
Many will also elect a speaker, a powerful job that oversees the work of the lower house, which lawmakers plan to vote on Wednesday.
Coalition allies want the post, but others say Modi will field a candidate from his own party.
