Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Lok Sabha on February 8 and replied to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech. In a stinging attack on the Opposition, Modi said that the trust reposed by crores of people was his protective shield which cannot be breached by abuse and allegations from his detractors.
Lok Sabha
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha began with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi demanding action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his “objectionable” remarks against PM Modi.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey submitted a privilege notice against the Congress leader, claiming that Gandhi used “unverified, incriminatory and defamatory” statements against PM Modi on Tuesday. Certain remarks made by the Congress leader were later expunged from the records, as per reports.
During Question Hour, Ministers replied to questions on issues related to online gambling, poverty and railways. The House then resumed debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address to Parliament.
Initiating the discussion, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked Gandhi over his comments on the PM, claiming that he had misled the House. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also accused Gandhi of violating the norms of the House during his speech.
The Opposition, meanwhile, intensified its attack against the Centre. Speaking on the Motion of Thanks, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the government was not doing enough for minorities and said the budget for minorities was slashed.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury slammed the Centre for highlighting the tribal background of President Droupadi Murmu. He added that Gandhi’s speech in Lok Sabha had exposed the inefficiency of the BJP. The Congress leader also raised the India-China border issue, which led to a war of words between him and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to the discussion. He stated that President Droupadi Murmu’s address offered both an account and an inspiration to the country.
“Notwithstanding the pandemic, divided world, geopolitical disturbances, the way the country has waded through the disturbances has filled it with pride and confidence,” he said, adding that India emerged as the fifth largest economy amidst the events.
He also pointed out that in the last nine years, 90,000 startups had been established in the country with India ranking third among countries with the highest number of start-ups.
PM Modi also said that the Opposition was not very enthused with this. He said that 2004-14 were the most corrupt phase in the history of independent India.
He accused the Opposition of being “self-contradictory”. Referring to the allegations of arm-twisting sovereign governments to help a private entity acquire an international project, the PM said the opposition would on one hand question India’s weakening power in the global world and would later come up with such accusations. He said people’s faith in Modi was beyond their comprehensibility.
Taking a dig at Congress’ recent Bharat Jodho Yatra, he said that those who feared hoisting the national flag fearing social disturbance have now started undertaking ‘Tiranga Yatra’.
The Lok Sabha was then adjourned for the day for lack of quorum. DMK member Dayanidhi Maran raised the issue of quorum after his party colleague T.R. Baalu completed his speech on a debate on the Union Budget.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla directed officials to ring the quorum bell to ensure presence of at least 55 members, which is 10% of the total strength of the House.
As the government’s floor managers failed to muster the required numbers, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings for the day. The Lok Sabha extended its sitting till 8 p.m. to continue the debate on the Union Budget.
After the House was adjourned, Chowdhury told reporters outside Parliament, “Soon after the Prime Minister completed his speech and left, all his sycophants also followed him. The House had to be adjourned for want of quorum.”
Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar refused to allow notices under Rule 267 of the Parliament – suspension of the day’s proceedings to debate an issue as suggested by a member of the House – at the beginning. He also announced that Zero Hour, Question Hour, and lunch hour will be suspended and the House will resume discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
PM Modi attended proceedings of the House in the morning. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge spoke in the Upper House during the day, but was intervened a number of times by the Chairman as well as BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal.
Meanwhile, AAP and BRS MPs staged a walkout after their notices seeking suspension of business to debate the Adani-Hindenburg issue were rejected by Chairman Dhankhar.
In his speech, Kharge asked why the Centre talks about failures of previous governments rather than their own achievements. He accused the central government of driving a divide between religious groups in the country as well as mistreating people from Scheduled Castes.
Kharge also questioned the friendship between Adani and PM Modi. The Chairman asked him to refrain from casting aspersions, and Goyal said that the LoP should not make allegations he cannot substantiate. Chaos broke out in the House when Kharge mentioned the Hindenburg Report. Are we supposed to believe any random report from any corner of the world, Chairman Dhankhar asked.
During the debate, Pabitra Margherita, BJP MP from Assam, asked what the significance of Bharat Jodo Yatra was when it did not include any part of the Northeast, causing some commotion among Opposition members.
Indu Bala Goswami, the party’s MP from Himachal Pradesh, highlighted that it was commendable that both the President’s address and the Budget were presented by women this year.
In his reply to the debate, Minister of Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav, said it was a pity that the Opposition did not believe any statistics about the country’s progress and development.
This is about the intolerance within you, he said, pointing out that when the whole country was celebrating GST, the Opposition was boycotting. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and other Opposition members protested his remarks.
Post the debate, 15 special mentions were taken up by the Rajya Sabha. BJP MP G.V.L Narasimha Rao requested assistance and funds for Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited for the functioning of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. It needs working capital, which may be obtained by divesting certain non-core assets, including a 22 acre plot in Visakhapatnam city, he said.
CPI(M) MP A.A. Rahim spoke about the Kerala government’s introduction of menstrual and maternal leave in higher education institutions. He highlighted that menstruation leave is being offered in the form of 2% attendance relaxation, while 60 days of maternal leave is being granted. He said that this move will help reduce the stigma around menstruation and enable women to participate in education.
Compiled by Sumeda, Priyali Prakash, Saptaparno Ghosh, Sruthi Darbhamulla and Srivatsan K C
Published - February 08, 2023 09:40 pm IST
