President Droupadi Murmu in her first address in the new Parliament building asserted that the grand edifice of a developed India will stand on four strong pillars of youth power, women power, farmers and the poor. She said their situation and dreams are similar in every part and every section of society in the country and her government has spent a significant portion of the tax revenues to empower these pillars.
President Droupadi Murmu arriving at the Parliament flanked by PM Narendra Modi and Vice President Jagdeep DhankharAddressing the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament today, she said, India has seen completion of many such works in national interest in the last ten years for which people were waiting for decades. The President also observed that the last year was full of accomplishments for India as the country became the fastest-growing economy as well as the first nation to reach the south pole of the Moon.
She said the grand building has been built at the beginning of the Amrit Kaal and it has the fragrance of Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat. She expressed confidence that there will be meaningful conversation on policies in this new building.
A copy of the President’s address to the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament has been tabled in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Later the two houses were adjourned for the day.
Earlier, in the Rajya Sabha, nominated member Satnam Singh Sandhu and Swati Maliwal and Narain Das Gupta of Aam Aadmi Party took oath.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced the revocation of the suspension of 11 opposition members who were suspended in the winter session for their unruly behaviour. However, the Privileges Committee of the Upper House had found these MPs guilty of breach of privilege and contempt of the Council of States, but the Chairman revoked their suspension treating their suspension period as punishment.
Meanwhile, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is slated to present the financial year Budget 2024 on February 1. This will be the final annual financial statement of the BJP-led PM Narendra Modi government’s second term.
Budget 2024 is ‘interim’ in nature as the government is set to face a general election in April-May this year. The full budget will be presented in July by the incoming government. In India, the financial year starts on April 1 and ends on March 31 of the following year.
Budget session an opportunity for all MPs to leave positive footprints: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that those MPs who contributed positively to the Parliament will be remembered by all, but those who caused disruptions will hardly be remembered.
Addressing media outside Parliament ahead of the Budget Session today, Modi said the members having a habit of being involved in ruckus and lowering the constitutional values must introspect in this last session of the current Lok Sabha. He said this Budget session is an opportunity for repentance and to leave positive footprints.
Modi urged all the MPs not to miss this opportunity and perform their best.
PM Modi terms President Murmu’s address as extensive & insightful
Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the Joint Sitting of both Houses of Parliament as extensive and insightful which highlighted the collective strength of 140 crore Indians. In a social media post, the Prime Minister said the address also “highlighted the vision of further developing India in the coming years.”
Congress terms President Droupadi Murmu’s address as directionless
Congress has termed President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament as directionless. Talking to media in New Delhi today, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that it was a political speech and that there was nothing related to employment and how to increase employment opportunities in the country. He also said it was to mislead the poor of the country. Another Congress leader Shashi Tharoor described it as an election speech.