Country watching how one man outweighs so many: PM Narendra Modi to Opposition
Launching yet another broadside against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday countered Opposition allegations against him and his government, saying their “keechad” (dirt) of charges will only make the lotus (the BJP symbol) bloom more, and that he alone outweighs them all.
Replying to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address amid Opposition chants against him and calls for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into affairs of the Adani Group, Modi told Rajya Sabha: “Desh dekh raha hai, ek akela kitno ko bhari padh raha hai (the country is watching how one person outweighs so many).”
The Presidential Address at the commencement of the Budget Session is a very important event in parliamentary tradition. It has great sanctity and propriety attached to it. This Budget Session has its own added significance because it was the maiden address of President Droupadi Murmu whose elevation to the top-most post is historic. After all, she comes from a deprived community and is a leader of great distinction.
It is tragic that Rahul Gandhi used the “Motion of Thanks” to level baseless, reckless, and shameful allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While doing so, he threw all parliamentary proprietary to the winds and indulged in lies. Rule 353 of the parliamentary procedure rules clearly stipulates that “No allegation of a defamatory or incriminatory nature shall be made by a member against any person unless the member has given adequate notice to the Speaker and also to the Minister concerned”. None of these procedures was followed. What is utterly irresponsible is that even in sensitive matters such as foreign relations with neighbouring countries, he deliberately uttered a lie related to the award of a contract in a power facility: The president of Sri Lanka publicly repudiated the statement of a particular officer, who also withdrew his comments. Rahul Gandhi did not mention this.
Trinamool Congress MP Jawhar Sircar Thursday asked the government in the Rajya Sabha if the recent appointment of Lekshmana Victoria Gowri, who has been accused of hate speech, as a judge of the Madras High Court was an “appropriate one”.
A section of lawyers in Tamil Nadu had lodged a protest after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended her appointment on January 17. These lawyers had pointed to her previous association with the BJP and alleged instances of hate speech by her.
Asking a supplementary question, Sircar cited Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s written reply that said the “appropriate” persons are appointed as judges. “Do you consider Victoria Gowri’s appointment really an appropriate person – one who has been accused in public of casteist remarks, of bias against minorities?” Sircar asked.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am on Monday.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expunges words -- 'Emergency' and 'Censor' -- from TMC MP Santanu Sen's speech.
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Every eligible beneficiary of PM-KISAN will continue to get benefit with the scheme providing them Rs 6,000 per year, says FM Sitharaman
Every eligible beneficiary of PM-KISAN will continue to get benefit with the scheme providing them Rs 6,000 per year, says FM Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says new tax regime to leave higher disposable income in hands of people. With the new regime offering a rebate on annual income of up to Rs 7 lakh, the Budget astutely balances the requirement of development imperatives within the limits of fiscal prudence.
Central government is trying to economically block West Bengal, TMC MP Sudip Bnadopadhyay said.
"Various central teams while investigating MNREGA scheme in West Bengal found serious shortcomings in its implementation in the state. Similarly, teams probing PM Awas Yojanas found irregularities in their implementation. State government was asked to submit report regarding this," Nirmala Sitharaman said.
The central government has insulated farmers from rising fertilizer prices in global markets by increasing subsidy, Sitharaman says.
Congress will slap allegations, and when you clarify, they'll shout and stage walkout -- this is Congress culture, says Nirmala Sitharaman amid uproar from Opposition benches.
Sitharaman countered allegations by the Opposition that food subsidy has been cut, and said it has been almost doubled to Rs 1.97 lakh crore.
When import price went up, PM Modi cut the excise duty to lower the burden on public, says Nirmala Sitharaman.
Nirmala Sitharaman said the economy is in sustained path and the government has always kept the interest of states in mind.
Speaking in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman stated that India is still the fastest growing major economy and will continue to be so. She added that the government chose capex path to revive the economy as it has a great multiplier effect.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks on Union Budget 2023-24 in Lok Sabha on Friday.
Around 1,333 multi-national companies (MNCs) have shut down in the country but more than 4,900 new ones have come up opening new avenues and job opportunities, Parliament was informed on Friday.
Responding during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said it is normal to see some MNCs get closed and some new to come up.
A total of 1,333 MNCs have been closed down in the country, out of which 313 were foreign-based and 1,017 were their subsidiaries, he said. "I am happy to share that in comparison to it (the one closed down), 4,906 new MNCs have been opened. This will open new avenues and provide job opportunities," Parkash said. (PTI)
Opposition MPs staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha on Friday after Chairman Jagdeep Singh Dhankhar objected to some remarks made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge had earlier urged the Chairman to call Opposition leaders to his chamber to have discussion and see if they’re “interested in maintaining order”.
Opposition MPs staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha on Friday after Chairman Jagdeep Singh Dhankhar objected to some remarks made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge had earlier urged the Chairman to call Opposition leaders to his chamber to have discussion and see if they’re “interested in maintaining order”
Amid scenes of chaos in the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar told MPs that he would deeply reflect on "every transgression by both sides".
After a heated exchange of words with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Lok Sabha on Friday, Congress and DMK MPs staged a walkout in protest. The two sides were at odds over establishing AIIMS Madurai.
An argument broke out between Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and DMK MPs from Tamil Nadu on Friday. "I won't allow such medical colleges to operate where there is no adequate faculty&infrastructure. Work underway on establishing AIIMS Madurai .Don’t make health an issue of politics," the Health minister said.
Expressing concern that around 30 per cent of the sanctioned strength of doctors, paramedical and administrative staff for all CGHS set-ups in the country are lying vacant, a parliamentary committee on Thursday recommended the health ministry to complete the recruitment process expeditiously.
"It is really worrisome that out of the sanctioned strength of 1,997 doctors, 490 posts are lying vacant," the Committee on Estimates in its report 'Assessment of Various Initiatives under CGHS' tabled in Lok Sabha said. "No wonder, patients are made to wait for a long time in Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensaries due to non-availability of doctors," it stated. The committee, while taking note of the steps taken by the ministry to fill up the vacant posts, recommended it to pursue strongly with the recruiting departments/agencies concerned so that the recruitment process can be completed expeditiously.
"The ministry should not shrug off its responsibilities by leaving it to the UPSC/SSC or other recruiting agencies to complete the recruitment process. Since providing medical assistance under CGHS is their responsibility, they must constantly follow up with them to ensure that the process is not delayed," the committee said in its report. (PTI)
A day after PM Narendra Modi’s scathing speech against the Opposition in Parliament, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge hit back saying that the Prime Minister only praised himself and did not address important issues like the Adani-Hindenburg crisis or inflation. “He said that only he can save this country, this is arrogance,” he told news agency ANI.
PM Modi on Thursday launched a frontal attack on the Opposition, even as they were protesting for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the allegations against the Adani Group raised by the Hindenburg Research. PM Modi, while replying to the motion of thanks in Rajya Sabh
Launching yet another broadside against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday countered Opposition allegations against him and his government, saying their “keechad” (dirt) of charges will only make the lotus (the BJP symbol) bloom more, and that he alone outweighs them all.
Replying to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address amid Opposition chants against him and calls for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into affairs of the Adani Group, Modi told Rajya Sabha: “Desh dekh raha hai, ek akela kitno ko bhari padh raha hai (the country is watching how one person outweighs so many).” Read more.
Trinamool Congress MP Jawhar Sircar Thursday asked the government in the Rajya Sabha if the recent appointment of Lekshmana Victoria Gowri, who has been accused of hate speech, as a judge of the Madras High Court was an “appropriate one”.

A section of lawyers in Tamil Nadu had lodged a protest after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended her appointment on January 17. These lawyers had pointed to her previous association with the BJP and alleged instances of hate speech by her.
Asking a supplementary question, Sircar cited Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s written reply that said the “appropriate” persons are appointed as judges. “Do you consider Victoria Gowri’s appointment really an appropriate person – one who has been accused in public of casteist remarks, of bias against minorities?” Sircar asked. Read more.
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