PM hopes to make 'a new beginning'

As the first session of the 15th Lok Sabha began on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hoped for a fresh start and better behaved MPs since the last time around.

The Prime Minister, who's a member of the Upper House, watched as the bigwigs were sworn-in. First it was Pranab Mukherjee as Leader of the House, next, as per protocol, the Leader of the Opposition. And then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

In attendance were close family and friends of the new MPs.

But amidst the smiles, the Prime Minister is worried. The last Lok Sabha lost as much as a quarter of its working time to rowdy disruptions and adjournments. Not only did these lead to losses worth crores, but also affected legislative work.

"I sincerely hope we'll make a new beginning that Parliament will be allowed to run smoothly, that dialogue discussion reason will prevail in our proceedings. We will give all due respect to the Opposition in discharging their responsibility," said the Prime Minister.

Not just the Prime Minister, but the top Opposition leaders want smooth functioning of Parliament, but how are they going to ensure it, is yet to be seen.