Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply in the Lok Sabha this evening on the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses. He will reply in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow. This was informed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju after the NDA Parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi. Meanwhile, both the Houses of Parliament today resumed discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.
In the Lok Sabha, participating in the discussion, Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party said, the present government lacks an absolute majority and this is a victory of the INDIA alliance. During his speech, Mr. Yadav raised questions over the Indian economy saying that despite India becoming the fifth largest economy in the world, per capita income is still low.
He also raised the issue of paper leaks to target the government alleging that the government does not want to give employment to the youth. Kalyan Banerjee of TMC alleged that opposition leaders are being targeted for the misuse of central agencies. He also alleged that attacks had been made on the federal structure in the last ten years. Participating in the discussion, KC Venugopal of Congress claimed that Lok Sabha election results were a moral victory for the opposition. He also raised the issue of rail accidents to criticize the government.
Santosh Pandey of BJP raised objections over yesterday’s remarks of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi allegedly on a particular community. He highlighted the achievements of the government saying that several developmental works have been done in the infrastructure sector. Soumitra Khan of the BJP raised the issue of alleged atrocities on BJP workers in West Bengal. He also raised the issue of reported atrocities against women in the State. There was a heated exchange between the treasury and the TMC MPs over the issue. Another BJP MP Dilip Saikia demanded Rahul Gandhi’s apology over his remarks made yesterday in the House. He also alleged that it is the habit of the Congress leader to make comments against a particular community. The discussion is underway.
In the Rajya Sabha, participating in the discussion, Birendra Prasad Baishya of AGP raised the issue of the inclusion of six communities of Assam in the list of Scheduled Tribes. He also talked about issues of illegal migrants in the state and stressed the need to take steps to protect the identity of the indigenous people of Assam. Mr. Baishya demanded that flood and erosion in Assam should be declared as a national problem.
BJP MP Ashokrao Chavan of BJP said that a wrong narrative was established during the election that his party intended to change the constitution. Mr. Chavan also talked about the NEET exam issue saying the culprits should be booked and a fair investigation to be done and the government is clear about it. He said the President in her address talked about the achievements of the government in the last ten years and the future roadmap.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari alleged that no steps have been taken to curb the price rise in the country. He also said that there was no mention of Manipur unrest in the President’s address. Mr. Tiwari further alleged that despite poll promises, BJP failed to give two crore jobs per year in the country. TMC MP Mohammad Nadimul Haque in his speech demanded that the government should publish a white paper on the amount of money that has been released to West Bengal under central schemes.
Responding to some of his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to them and said that one should not make personal attacks. Participating in the discussion, P Willson of DMK said that the NEET-based examination system is against the poor and marginalised sections of society. He said that Tamil Nadu has adopted the 12th examination marks-based system for medical admission rather than a selection-based examination.
He further added that NEET-based examinations put tremendous psychological pressure on students and financial pressure on parents. YSR Congress MP Venkat Subba Reddy also talked about the NEET examination issue and demanded an increase in the number of seats in medical colleges. He also mentioned the strengthening of the public health infrastructure. Muzibulla Khan of BJD also participated in the discussion. The discussion is underway.
Earlier, three newly elected MPs of Rajya Sabha from Kerala took oath. They are Haris Beeran, Jose K Mani, and PP Suneer.
Disclaimer: This press release is sourced from News On AIR, Prasar Bharti and Press Information Bureau India (PIB).
