A day before his government present its first Budget in the third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined the agenda for this session with an appeal to the Opposition and a combative message.
Addressing the media on the first day of Budget session, he said many MPs have been deprived of the opportunity to raise their constituency's issues because "negative politics" by some parties had wasted Parliament's time. He appealed to MPs from all parties to set aside political difference and participate in constructive discussions.
In an apparent reference to the Opposition's protests in Parliament in the session immediately after poll results, the Prime Minister said there was an attempt to "unconstitutionally silence" a government chosen by the people. "There cannot be a place in democratic traditions for attempts to gag the Prime Minister for two-and-a-half hours, and there is no remorse," he said.
The remarks referred to the sloganeering by Opposition MPs when the Prime Minister was addressing the House during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.
The Prime Minister said the country is closely watching and hopes that this is session would be constructive, creative and lay the foundation to fulfil their dreams. "This is an important milestone in the glorious journey of Indian democracy. We are proud that 60 years later, a government has returned to power for the third time and is going to present its first budget of its third term," he said.
Speaking about the Union Budget to be presented tomorrow, the Prime Minister said the government is moving forward to implement his guarantees. "This budget is an important budget of Amrit Kaal. It will outline our plan for five years and also lay the foundation for our Viksit Bharat 2047 vision," he said. The Prime Minister also said it is a matter of pride that India is the fastest-growing among large economies. "Over the past three years, the country has grown at a rate of 8 per cent. The country now has a positive outlook, investment and performance. In a way, it is at the peak of opportunities and this is an important milestone in India's development journey," he said.
In his appeal to MPs cutting across party lines, he said they must now set aside differences and contribute to the functioning of Parliament.
"Starting from January, we fought with all our might. We told people what we had to say. Some tried to show the way, some tried to mislead. But that phase is over. The country has given its mandate. It is now the duty of all MPs that they stop fighting for their parties and fight for the country for the next five years," he said, appealing to MPs to rise above party differences and work for the empowerment of the poor, the farmers and women.
"I am saying this with a heavy heart. After 2014, some MPs came for five years, some for 10 years, but many of them did not get an opportunity to raise issues of their constituencies or enrich the Parliament with their opinions because negative politics by some parties wasted Parliament's time," he said.
"Difference in opinions is not a problem, negativity is. The country does not need negativity, it needs a progressive ideology. I hope we will use this temple for democracy is a constructive manner to fulfil the dreams of people," he said.
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