Campaign bitterness forgotten, bonhomie in Rajya Sabha

An atmosphere of bonhomie prevailed in the Rajya Sabha as it began its new session after the general elections saw the return of the UPA to power.

An atmosphere of bonhomie prevailed in the Rajya Sabha as it began its new session on Thursday after the general elections saw the return of the UPA to power.

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Forgetting the bitter acrimony during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, members from all political parties exchanged greetings.

Before taking his seat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went straight to senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who has become the Leader of Opposition, in an apparent gesture to seek the opposition parties' support for the smooth conduct of the House.

After a warm handshake with Jaitley, who has taken the place of Jaswant Singh following his election to the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister exchanged pleasantries with senior leaders before taking his seat.

The Upper House missed several BJP veterans like Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha, all of whom have been elected to the Lok Sabha.

The Prime Minister, who will be the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, later introduced his Council of Ministers amid thumping of desks. Loud applause was heard when he introduced 28-year old Agatha Sangma, the youngest Minister in the Council.