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Session, President Kovind said his government’s policies have given top priority to the poor and marginalised sections of the society. He highlighted the government’s COVID-19 response, the record procurement of farm produce and improvement in internal security as “collective achievements” of the billion-plus citizens of the country.
PM Modi had hailed President Kovind’s address to Parliament, saying it talked about India’s developmental strides and reflected the collective vision of 130 crore Indians to take the nation to newer heights in the times to come.
The debate on the motion of thanks on his address began on February 2, with both the houses allotting 12 hours for it in the first half of the Budget session. It opened with BJP MP Harish Dwivedi claiming 4.5 lakh youths were given jobs and ₹36,000 crore worth farmer loans waived in the last five years in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi Adityanath government. He also slammed the previous governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh for only providing lip services rather than actually working for the welfare of the poor and backward classes.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was the first from the Opposition to reply, attacked the government alleging that two Indias, one for the rich and one for the poor, have been created and the gap between them was widening. Speaking first from the Opposition side in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, he said the address to a joint sitting of Parliament didn’t touch the central challenges facing the country and was a “list of bureaucratic ideas” instead of a strategic vision.
The presidential address made no mention of unemployment, the Congress leader claimed. There are two Indias — one for the rich, one for the poor — and the gap between the two was widening, Gandhi alleged and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to start working towards bringing the two Indias, created by this government, together.
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