'Warriors are back...': Moitra's post on Parliament's inaugural session
What's the story
The 18th Lok Sabha session began on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet ministers taking their oaths as members of Parliament.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra marked the occasion by posting a comparison of images from 2019 and 2024 featuring opposition women Lok Sabha MPs on X (formerly known as Twitter), captioning it "Warriors are back."
Notably, the session was inaugurated amidst protests by Opposition leaders in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament.
Representation
Women MPs return to Lok Sabha, opposition protests continue
In addition to Moitra, other MPs in the photo are: Kanimozhi from Tamil Nadu's Thoothukkudi seat, Supriya Sule, Jothimani, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, and Dimple Yadav from Maharashtra's Baramati constituency, Tamil Nadu's Karur seat, Chennai South seat and Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri seat respectively.
This year saw 74 women winning the Lok Sabha elections—a slight decrease from 78 in 2019—with West Bengal leading with 11 female MPs elected to the lower house.
Protests
Opposition raises concerns over Pro-tem Speaker and NEET UG-2024
On the first day of the inaugural session, the opposition voiced concerns over several issues, including the appointment of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem speaker.
The Opposition also protested against alleged irregularities in the NEET UG-2024 examination and the relocation of statues within the Parliament building complex.
Address
PM Modi calls for responsible opposition and parliamentary decorum
Ahead of the session, Prime Minister Modi addressed the opposition, emphasizing that the people of India expect "debate and diligence" from their MPs, not "disturbance."
He said, "India needs a responsible opposition. People want substance not slogans, they want debate, diligence not disturbance in Parliament. People expect good steps from the opposition."
Despite expressing disappointment with their performance so far, he expressed hope that they would fulfill their role and maintain democracy's decorum.