Babul Supriyo, Debashree Chaudhary greeted with 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans as duo takes oath as Lok Sabha MP

In a rather unusual scenario, West Bengal Ministers Babul Supriyo and Debashree Chaudhary, who joined the list of MPs in newly constituted Modi 2.0 Cabinet, were greeted with 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans while taking oath as Members of the 17th Lok Sabha that commenced on Monday, June 17, 2019. As soon as the Secretary General called Supriyo and Chaudhary for taking oath at Parliament, Members from the ruling NDA were seen thumping the desk and chanted Lord Rama's names, in a thunderous roar - 'Jai Shri Ram! Jai Shri Ram! Jai Shri Ram!'

The move seems to be a dig at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee amid a war of words between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress over the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram' from the last few months. In numerous instances, Banerjee had lost her cool when some BJP supporters chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' in her presence. She accused the BJP of being a party of outsiders that does not understand the culture of Bengal and is trying to create unrest in West Bengal by "mixing religion with politics".

At least seven persons were detained on March 31 for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan when Banerjee's motorcade passed through North 24 Parganas district of the state. An infuriated Banerjee came out of her car and allegedly asked her security officials to note down the name of the persons involved in it.

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The incident brought back memories of a similar episode in early May in West Midnapore district. A video had showed Banerjee losing her temper when some men chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' at her motorcade.

The BJP also hit back at the West Bengal government, saying more Banerjee protests against the chant the more public support she would lose in the state.

Supriyo, who contested the Asansol Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal for a second term in 2019, won the polls with a handsome margin. He bagged a total of 6,33,378 votes to defeat Trinamool Congress candidate Moon Moon Sen. The singer-turned-politician was made union minister of state for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation in the Government of India.

Debashree Chaudhary, who reached the House after winning the elections from West Bengal's Raiganj parliamentary constituency, defeated Kanhaiyalal Agrawal of Trinamool Congress with 60,574 votes. 48-year-old Chaudhary, who is known for his dedication towards the party, has been very much active in politics since her college days. Having political experience of over 20 years, the first time MP was given the portfolio of Minister of State for the Ministry of Women and Child Development in new Modi Cabinet.

In 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP made massive gains by winning 18 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. The ruling Trinamool Congress bagged 18 parliamentary constituencies compared to 34 it had won in 2014.