New Delhi, June 25 -- He drew maximum cheers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the swearing-in ceremony of the new government on May 30 and the nervousness of a debutant was missing from his maiden speech in Parliament on Monday as Minister of State Pratap Chandra Sarangi took firm control of the floor and peppered his multi-lingual oratory with shlokas, anecdotes and poetry.
Fielded by Modi to open the debate in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks on President's address in a surprise move, Sarangi made the opposition squirm in their seats and left the treasury benches in splits.
He reserved his acerbic best for the Congress and was extravagant in praising the Prime Minister.
"The Sardar (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) united our nation...