Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, from Bihar’s Purnea, made headlines by taking his oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha wearing a t-shirt with the slogan “ReNEET.” This came amidst calls to cancel the NEET-PG 2024 exam due to allegations of paper leaks. Yadav’s oath was followed by a series of slogans: “Re-NEET, special status for Bihar, Seemanchal Zindabad, Manavtavaad Zindabad, Bhim Zindabad, Samvidhan Zindabad.” These slogans sparked immediate objections from the ruling party members. In response to their disapproval, Yadav asserted, “I am a six-time MP. You’ll teach me? You have won on the mercy (of others). I fight alone.”
#WATCH | Independent MP from Bihar’s Purnea, Pappu Yadav wears a t-shirt with the words ‘ReNEET’ on it as he takes oath as a member to the 18th Lok Sabha and concludes his oath by saying, “Re-NEET, special status for Bihar, Seemanchal Zindabad, Manavtavaad Zindabad, Bhim… pic.twitter.com/UYuwp82ypQ
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024
Yadav had merged his Jan Adhikar Party with the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections, but his ambition to contest from Purnea was thwarted when ally RJD nominated JD(U) defector Bima Bharti. Undeterred, Yadav ran as an independent and secured the seat by over 23,000 votes, while Bharti finished a distant third and lost her deposit. Yadav had previously represented Purnea three times in the 1990s.
The second day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha saw various MPs raising slogans after their oaths. Common slogans included “Jai Hind,” “Jai Maharashtra,” “Jai Bheem,” and “Jai Shivaji.” On at least one occasion, the pro-tem speaker reminded members to stick to the prescribed oath and read only what was written on their provided documents.
Congress’ Outer Manipur MP Alfred S Arthur took his oath in English, adding, “Manipur mei nyay dilaye, desh bachaiye.” AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi caused an uproar by mentioning a conflict-hit West Asian region in his oath, prompting the chair to strike it from the record.
