A day after the Government said it anticipated a cordial Special Session of Parliament during which the members will also take oath as MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave ammunitions to the Congress-led Opposition members by raking up the ‘Emergency’ chord on Monday.

Modi took a swipe at the Congress over the imposition of Emergency in 1975, calling it a "black spot" on democracy when the Constitution was "discarded" while the Opposition termed the Modi regime as an undeclared Emergency as well as Education Emergency given the series of exam paper leaks.

While Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had appealed for a cordial Session, Congress had asked the Minister to ‘walk the talk’ on Sunday.

Modi said people have given his Government mandate for a third consecutive term and have put a stamp of approval on its policies and intentions.

He also said the 18th Lok Sabha begins on Monday with a resolve of building a 'Shreshtha Bharat' and 'Viksit Bharat'.

Addressing the media in Parliament complex at the beginning of the first Session of the new Lok Sabha, the PM asserted that his Government will take everyone along in fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

Modi also noted that Emergency's 50th anniversary falls on June 25, and described it as a "black spot" on India's democracy when Constitution was discarded.

Welcoming new MPs, he said the 18th Lok Sabha commences with a dream of building a developed India by 2047. People expect good steps from the Opposition but it has been disappointing so far, he said while expressing hope that it will fulfil its role and maintain democracy's decorum.

India needs a responsible Opposition and people want substance not slogans. They want debate, diligence not disturbance in Parliament, he said in a jibe at the Opposition.

The Prime Minister noted that 65 crore voters participated in the just-held parliamentary elections and it was for the second time since Independence that a Government was chosen for a third consecutive term. The occasion came after 60 years, he said

Amid a row over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, Opposition MPs said on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha that the Government will have to answer on the controversy in Parliament.

Several newly-elected members who took oath in the Lok Sabha said the government is not considering the hardship of students who are feeling stuck in limbo.

As Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan proceeded to take his oath, members of the opposition raised "NEET, NEET" slogans, as the controversy over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and the the University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) continues to rage.

Modi and members of his Council of Ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, took the oath as members of the 18th Lok Sabha.

Modi took the oath in Hindi amid slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" raised by members of the treasury benches.

While he was taking the oath, opposition members rose to their feet, holding copies of the Constitution. When Shah came to take the oath, they again held up the copies of the Constitution but remained seated.

Among the Council of Ministers, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are members of the Rajya Sabha, while ministers of state George Kurian and Ravneet Singh are not members of either House.

Besides Rajnath Singh and Shah, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari also took the oath as members of the 18th Lok Sabha.

Senior members Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both from the BJP), who will assist the pro-tem speaker in administering the oath to the newly elected MPs, were sworn in as members of the new House.

They will help pro-tem speaker B Mahtab run the House when the members take the oath on Monday and Tuesday.

Congress members K Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC), who were called to take oath as they were also appointed as panel of chairpersons like Singh and Kulaste, did not turn up.

The Congress has taken objection to Mahtab's appointment, contending that the claim of eight-term member Suresh, a Dalit leader, was overlooked. The INDIA bloc has said opposition leaders Suresh, Baalu and Bandopadhyay would not join the panel of chairpersons as a mark of protest.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi and Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh also took the oath as members of the new Lok Sabha.