Emotional speeches, a renaming, a final group photo: Highlights of the second day of the special session of Parliament

Let’s take a look at the key highlights of the second day of the special session.

1. 01

   PM Modi delivers maiden speech in new Parliament

   As Lok Sabha proceedings chaired by Speaker Om Birla began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his first speech in the new Lok Sabha chamber as the Leader of the House. PM Modi made a pitch for women-led development in the country, highlighting the various contributions made by women in different sectors and fields.

   He also mentioned the Women’s Reservation Bill and urged the House to pass it with a majority.

   Invoking the Sengol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it was a symbol of continuity between India’s past and present.

   Addressing MPs at the new Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that this was, in many ways, “the dawn of the amrit kaal”.

   The new Parliament Building is the beacon of parliamentary democracy in India. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha.
   https://t.co/oPMHBQPnx4

   — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 19, 2023

2. 02

   Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: Rajiv Gandhi ensured women’s reservation in local bodies

   Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, during the inaugural session in the new Parliament House, reminisced about the Rajiv Gandhi government’s initiative to reserve one-third of seats in urban and rural local bodies for women. His comments caused disturbances in the House, prompting him to note that just moments earlier, the Prime Minister had emphasised the importance of “good behaviour” within the House.

   (PTI Image)

3. 03

   ‘Sirf dil chahiye, desh ke liye chahiye’: PM Modi to MPs in last speech at old Parliament

   At a function held in the Central Hall of the Parliament to commemorate its rich legacy, PM Modi, in his address to Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs, called the move to the new Parliament building on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi “naye bhavishya ka Shri Ganesh (an auspicious beginning of a new future)” and emphasised his government’s twin planks of social justice and equitable development to take the country forward.

   “The time for us to get caught up in smaller issues is over. First of all, we will have to meet the goal of becoming Aatmanirbhar Bharat…It is the need of the hour, it is everyone’s duty. Parties do not come in its way. Sirf dil chahiye, desh ke liye chahiye,” PM Modi said.

   PM Modi also urged the members to reaffirm the commitment to make India a developed nation by 2047. “In the new Parliament building, we are going to make new beginnings for a new future,” he said.

   Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers a speech during an event organised in the Central Hall of Parliament on the occasion of the shifting of Parliament to the new building, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (PTI Photo)

   He also listed landmark moments witnessed at the old Parliament building, which he renamed Samvidhan Bhawan at the function. “Since 1952, 41 heads of state from across the world have addressed our MPs in the Central Hall and more than 4,000 laws have been passed by Parliament in the last seven decades,” PM Modi said.

4. 04

   Longest-serving among sitting Lok Sabha MPs, Maneka Gandhi gives a speech in Central Hall

   BJP MP Maneka Gandhi, who is the longest-serving among sitting Lok Sabha MPs, said that she is proud to be part of the moment when the government will be giving women “an equal share in future of India”.

   Maneka Gandhi, who has served as minister for women and child development in the past, spoke about the power of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ slogan of the government, and social schemes like Jan Dhan and Ujjwala Yojana, news agency PTI reported.

   “I am proud to be a part of this moment when government under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has undertaken to repair the deep-rooted asymmetry, and to give an equal share in the future of India to all us women,” she said.

   (PTI Photo)

   Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were present on the dais at the function held in the Central Hall of the Parliament.

5. 05

   Piyush Goyal in Central Hall: ‘New Parliament House living example of traditional heritage and modernity’

   On Tuesday, Piyush Goyal, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, stated that had India successfully addressed its numerous challenges in a timely manner, the nation could have achieved developed status even before 2047.

   He also said that the new Parliament is a “living example of traditional heritage and modernity”.

6. 06

   ‘New Parliament House will bring new hope, new joy for us,’ says Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

   At the last gathering of MPs at the Central Hall, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the new Parliament House will bring in new ambitions, expectations, hopes and joys for everyone.

   He also recalled the contributions of the Constituent Assembly which paved the way for Indian parliamentary democracy.

   Birla also paid tribute to soldiers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

7. 07

   India confronted by immediate challenges which require attention, resolution: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

   Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury addressed the MPs gathered at the Central Hall and highlighted the significant wealth disparity existing within the country and emphasised that addressing this divide will be the pivotal challenge on the path to achieving the status of a ‘developed nation’.

   “Our ability to achieve developed nation status by 2047 depends on our citizens’ development. We are confronted by immediate challenges which require attention and resolution,” Chowdhury said.

8. 08

   Mallikarjun Kharge: ‘Constitution of India is bedrock of Indian democratic polity’

   Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also addressed MPs from both Houses at Central Hall. “The Constitution of India is the bedrock of Indian democratic polity,” he said.

   He also recalled the contributions made by members of the Constituent Assembly, along with India’s first president Dr Rajendra Prasad, first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, the “architect of modern India” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar.

   He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remembering Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech, which he had delivered on the occasion of India’s independence from British rule.

   (PTI Photo)

9. 09

   MPs pose for group photograph before first session at new Parliament

   Members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha got their group photograph clicked in the old Parliament building on Tuesday. The MPs gathered for a final photo shoot before House proceedings shifted to the new Parliament. The photo shoot had some anxious moments as BJP Rajya Sabha MP Narhari Amin fainted during the photo session. He later gained his composure and re-joined the photo session.

   (PTI Photo)