Parliament Budget Session 2024 Highlights: India saw ‘reform, perform and transform’ in last 5 years, says PM Modi in last sitting of 17th Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the last day of Parliament's Budget session today.

He lauded the outgoing Lok Sabha saying many decisions, including the repeal of Article 370 and the passage of women's reservation bill, were taken during its tenure for which many generations had long waited while game-changing reforms in the period laid the foundation of a strong India.

Touching on the discussion on the Ram temple construction in Lok Sabha and the House's adoption of a laudatory resolution on the development, Modi said it will give constitutional strength to the future generations to feel proud of the country's values.

Supriya Sule: Sule (Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP) thanked her electorate for sending her to the House but said she cannot thank her party as it was in "dilemma". She said the court will decide about the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the coming days. She noted that members of the 17th Lok Sabha are the only batch of the lower house who have functioned in the new as well as the old building now called Samvidhan Bhavan.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdury: He said one of the key moments of the outgoing 17th Lok Sabha was the switch from the old to the new building and "old timers" like him were trying to adjust. In his speech on the last working day of the present Lok Sabha, Chowdhury also thanked speaker Om Birla and the secretariat for trying to bring changes to improve parliamentary practices.

Anupriya Patel: In her remarks, Union minister Anupriya Patel hoped that the members of the next House will ensure that every minute during any session is well utilised.

B Mahtab: BJD MP noted that out of more than 540 members, over 300 were first timers who were initially reluctant to speak but were encouraged by seniors.

Girish Chandra: The BSP MP hoped that members of the present House return to Lok Sabha after winning upcoming polls.

The Upper House has been adjourned sine die.

Following Speaker Om Birla's address in the last sitting of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Lower House was adjourned sine die.

The outgoing Lok Sabha has 20 vacancies with the oldest dating back to March last year caused due to the death of Girish Bapat, a BJP member from Pune. The Election Commission had also received a rap from the Supreme Court for not holding the bypoll in Pune, asserting that people from a constituency cannot be left unrepresented for a long time.

Thanking all the MPs for their participation in the 17th Lok Sabha proceedings, PM Modi emphasises the long journey of India's democracy.

"I believe that the more quickly government gets out of people's day-to-day lives the stronger democracy will be," he says.

He speaks about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said the results will definitely be historic.

PM Modi concludes his address.

PM Modi addressed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and conveyed his gratitude.

"...You were ever-smiling. Your smile never faded. You guided this House in a balanced and impartial manner in several instances, for this, I appreciate you. There were moments of anger, allegations but you controlled the situation patiently and ran the House and guided us. I express my gratitude to you for this."

Speaking on the last day of the 17th Lok Sabha Session, PM Modi highlighted some milestones of the last five years:

"Many game-changing reforms which will lay foundation of strong India took place in last five years."

"We made tough laws to fight terror"

"We abrogated Article 370 in this term."

"The Data Protection Bill is a tool for our youth."

"The country will bless the 17th Lok Sabha. The blessings of the Constitution makers are with us as well."

"These 5 years were our service to the country. These fives years were based on - reform, perform and transform," PM Modi speaks in the concluding session of the 17th Lok Sabha proceedings.

As both Houses of the Parliament began discussion on the consecration ceremony of Ayodhya's Ram Temple, Opposition parties walked out of the Rajya Sabha opposing the BJP government's white paper on the economy. The CPI(M) also refused to participate in the discussion on the Ram temple in the House.

The Left party said it will not become "party to communalise the political situation".

A Lok Sabha discussion on the consecration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya on Saturday saw barbs fly between the BJP and the Congress, with the latter complaining that Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to go the shrine dedicated to Shankardeva in Assam on January 22, and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey retorting that “non-Hindus” were not permitted there “just like we cannot go to Mecca”. 

The attacks continued even as Lok Sabha members across parties showered praise on Lord Ram.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on the discussion on Ram Mandir:

The Ram temple in Ayodhya would not have been built if the Congress was in power, BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi said in the Lok Sabha

Participating in the debate on "the construction of historic Shri Ram Temple and Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ramlala", Sarangi said he had also gone for 'karseva' during the Ram temple movement.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expresses his disappointment over the conduct of Rajya Sabha members during Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary's address on Friday.

'Let us please respect people, even political leaders. We have to be sensitive. I am deeply hurt by the conduct of the House today,' he says.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's decision to allow Singh to speak on the Bharat Ratna honour to Charan Singh drew sharp protest from the Congress, leading to a heated exchange of words between the opposition and the treasury benches.

Dhankhar expressed unhappiness at the objections raised by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and even accused the Congress leaders of insulting Charan Singh and his legacy.

- "A White Paper on economy earlier would have affected confidence of institutions, investors, and the people."

- "We need to have clean, accountable governance, and not governance through extra-constitutional body."

- "Gur ko gobar karna inki mastery hai (Congress has mastery of ruining something that has been accomplished)."

- "Unemployment rate for graduates declined from 17.3 pc in 2017 to 13.4 pc in 2023," says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in RS

They (Congress) feared people who could overshadow 'first family': says FM Sitharaman and cites names of B R Ambedkar, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Karpoori Thakur.

"This was the government in which the Prime Ministers gave themselves the Bharat Ratna. They didn't care about the others," she adds.

Amit Shah against emphasises the inauguration of the Ram Mandir as a historic day for India and states that PM Modi-led BJP will come back to power for its third consecutive term. This comes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The conclusion of the Budget session on Saturday also marks the culmination of the 17th Lok Sabha proceedings.

He concludes his address.

Amit Shah highlights that every state and several nations contributed to the making of the under-construction Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

"It is the start of making Bharat Mata a Vishwa Guru," he says.

'The country chose a sarvgun sampann leader,' says Amit Shah adding that prior to PM Modi's leadership, the country was "directionless".

Home Minister Amit Shah speaks on the Ram Mandir in the Lok Sabha.

"Consecration of Ram temple ended long agitation since 1528 and legal fight since 1858," he says.

Speaking during a discussion on Ram temple construction in the Lok Sabha today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said “January 22 will be a historic day for years to come as it was the day that fulfilled the hopes & aspirations of all Ram devotees.” “January 22 was the beginning of great India…Those who imagine a country without Lord Ram do not know our country well and they represent the days of colonialism,” he said.

Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday accused Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and other Congress leaders of creating an environment in the House that disrespects the memory of Chaudhary Charan Singh, thereby causing distress to farmers across the country.

"You virtually insulted Chaudhary Charan Singh; you insulted his legacy. You had no time for Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh. You are hurting every farmer in the country by creating such an environment inside the House on the issue of Chaudhary Charan Singh. Our heads should go in shame," the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.

Dhankhar added, "Don't use this language. I will not tolerate insults to Chaudhary Charan Singh. He stands for impeccable public life, unimpeachable integrity, and commitment to farmers...I have seen with my eyes ruckus, chaos, condemnation, shouting and sloganeering." Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that the former Prime Minister of the country, Chaudhary Charan Singh, will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour. (ANI)

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, RLD MP Jayant Chaudhary said, "I have been in the opposition for 10 years, I have been sitting on this side of this house for some time, the working style of the present government also has a glimpse of the thoughts of Chaudhary Charan Singh. When PM Modi addresses the issues of toilets in the village, when the Government of India makes women empowerment its platform and creates awareness in the villages, I remember Chaudhary Charan Singh ji's spirit in it..."

"I believe that PM Modi and GoI have given Bharat Ratna to Choudhary Charan Singh, it accomplishes two big things, one is that we re-institutionalise the legacy of Choudhary Charan Singh...I believe that this is not just an award, it is the biggest honour...A grassroots government, which understands the voice of the land and wants to elevate it, only such a government can give Bharat Ratna to the son of the soil, Chaudhary Charan Singh..." he said further.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha today, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that It is a moment of pride that PM Modi gave respect to Chaudhary Charan Singh by awarding him the Bharat Ratna.

He criticized the Congress for not celebrating this achievement, suggesting it might be due to Singh not having the Nehru-Gandhi surname.

“It is a moment of pride that PM Modi gave respect to Chaudhary Charan Singh by awarding him the Bharat Ratna…Charan Singh helped the farmer’s voice to reach every house in this country, meanwhile, Narasimha Rao spearheaded the economic liberalisation in India… Congress should have been celebrating today that their former PM has been awarded by the Modi government. But unfortunately, he did have Nehru-Gandhi in his surname. If he belonged to the first family it would have worked...'

Former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-87) has been conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.

“This honour is dedicated to his incomparable contribution to the country… His dedication to our farmer brothers and sisters and his commitment to democracy during the Emergency is inspiring to the entire nation (translated),” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X on Friday (February 9).

Speaking on this development, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said, "The decision taken to award Chaudhary Charan Singh with Bharat Ratna, it is a big decision...Yesterday, people celebrated Diwali after the announcement...Yesterday, the farmers distributed sweets in Connaught Place. This only shows that the decision was not only limited to his family members but is a decision to strengthen the farmers..."

During the discussion on the construction of the Ram Temple and Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Satya Pal Singh says "Where there is Ram, there is religion...those who destroy Dharma, are killed and those who protect Dharma, are protected. Congress is in this situation in this country today because they rejected Lord Ram at that time..."

During the discussion on the construction of the historic Ram Temple and Pran Pratishta begins in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Satya Pal Singh says "I am fortunate to get the opportunity to speak about the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram on 22nd January, inside the Parliament. It is historic to see the Pran Pratishtha and offer prayers to Lord Ram at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, in Ayodhya.

The Lok Sabha has taken up discussion on the Ram temple amidst a protest by DMK over an issue related to Tamil Nadu fishermen on Saturday.

Rajya Sabha will later commence a short-duration discussion on 'Shree Ram Mandir Ke Etihasic Nirman aur Pran Pratishta' (Historic construction of Shree Ram Temple and Pran Pratishta). BJP MPs Sudhanshu Trivedi and Rakesh Sinha are to raise the discussion on the issue.

A short-duration discussion on White Paper on the Indian Economy is scheduled in the Rajya Sabha today. BJP legislators Sushil Kumar Modi and Prakash Javadekar will raise the discussion informing its impact on the lives of the people of the country. (ANI)

INDIA bloc parliamentary leaders are set to meet on Saturday at the Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition office in Parliament today. The Congress has also issued a three-line whip in Lok Sabha for MPs to be present in the house today. (ANI)

A discussion on the construction of the “historic” Ram temple and the January 22 Pran Pratishtha (consecration ceremony) of the idol of Ramlalla in Ayodhya will bring to a close proceedings of the 17th Lok Sabha which will meet one final time Saturday. The Rajya Sabha too will hold the same discussion.

The BJP issued a three-line whip Friday, directing its MPs to be present in both Houses Saturday.