People have elected stable government with clear majority, says President Murmu in Parliament; Opposition slams BJP-led alliance

Addressing the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the President said that Kashmir Valley broke all records of voter turnout of many decades in the Lok Sabha polls and gave a befitting reply to enemies of the country spreading false propaganda in global forums.

She said people have elected a stable government with clear majority, consecutively for the third term.

The President said that the first budget of the BJP-led NDA government in its third successive term will be "an effective document of the government's far-reaching policies and futuristic vision".

She said the 2024 Lok Sabha polls have been an "election of trust in policy, intention, dedication and decisions" and asserted that the government is fully committed to a fair investigation into the recent incidents of paper leaks.

In her nearly hour-long address, President Murmu talked of government initiatives for boosting infrastructure development. She referred to new criminal law bills coming into force from July 1. The President referred to imposition of Emergency in June 1975 and said it was the biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack on the Constitution.

This century is India's century, and its impact will last for a thousand years to come, she said.

Referring to protests in Parliament by opposition parties over their issues, she said opposition of policies and obstruction of parliamentary functioning are two different things.

Opposition leaders slammed the government over the President's address with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying not to accept the message of Lok Sabha polls "which was against him".

He said people rejected PM Modi's slogan of "400 paar" and kept BJP away from the majority mark of 272.

In his remarks on the President's address, PM Modi said it was comprehensive and presented a roadmap of progress and good governance.

"It covered the strides India has been making and also the potential that lies ahead. Her address also mentioned some of the major challenges we have to collectively overcome to ensure a qualitative change in the lives of our citizens," the Prime Minister said in a post on 'X'.

In her speech, the President said about 64 crore voters performed their duty with enthusiasm and zeal in the Lok Sabha polls and EVM has passed every test, from the Supreme Court to the people's court, in the last few decades.

"Women cast their votes in huge numbers this time also. A very heartening aspect of this election emerged from Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir Valley broke all records of voter turnout of many decades. In the last four decades, we had witnessed low voter turnout amidst shutdowns and strikes in Kashmir. Enemies of India continued to spread false propaganda at global forums, projecting it as an opinion of Jammu and Kashmir. But this time the Kashmir Valley has given a befitting reply to every such element within the country and outside," she said.

The President said the whole world is talking about the Lok Sabha elections.

"The world is witnessing that the people of India have elected a stable Government with clear majority, consecutively for the third term. This has happened after six decades. At a time when the aspirations of people of India are at their highest ever, people have reposed faith in my Government for the third consecutive term. The people of India have full faith that only my Government can fulfil their aspirations," she said.

"Therefore, this election of 2024 has been an election of trust in policy, intention, dedication and decisions - trust in a strong and decisive government, trust in good governance, stability and continuity, trust in honesty and hard work, trust in security and prosperity, trust in government's guarantees and delivery, trust in India's resolve to be Viksit Bharat...

"It is a stamp of approval for my Government's mission of service and good governance undertaken in the past 10 years. It is a mandate that the work of making India a developed nation continues uninterrupted and India attains its goals," she added.

The President said along with major economic and social decisions, many historic steps will also be seen in the budget likely to be presented during the monsoon session of parliament.

"The pace of reforms will be further accelerated in tune with the aspirations of people of India for rapid development. My Government believes that there should be healthy competition among the states to attract investors from all over the world. This is the true spirit of competitive cooperative federalism. We will continue to move ahead with the belief that the development of the country lies in the development of the states," she said.

She said India is the fastest growing economy in the world and in 10 years, the country has risen to become the fifth largest economy from being the 11th ranked economy.

"From 2021 to 2024, India has grown at an average rate of 8 percent annually. And this growth has not been achieved under usual circumstances. This has been made possible due to reforms and major decisions undertaken in the national interest in the last 10 years. Today, India alone is contributing 15 percent of the global growth. The government is striving to make India the 3rd largest economy in the world. Achieving this goal will also strengthen the foundation of a developed India."

She said along with the traditional sectors, sunrise sectors are also being promoted in mission mode and the government is also making continuous efforts to reduce the cost of logistics.

The President said in the last 10 years, the government has placed great emphasis on every aspect of rural economy and has commenced work on a scheme to create the world's largest storage capacity in the cooperative sector.

She said the government is providing all possible assistance to farmers to reduce dependence on other countries for pulses and oilseeds and is strengthening natural farming and the supply chain of its related products.

The President said India is known not for adding to the challenges the world is facing, but for providing solutions to the world.

"As a Vishwa-Bandhu, India has taken initiatives in providing solutions to many global problems. We are providing various solutions for issues ranging from climate change to food security and from nutrition to sustainable agriculture...the prestige of this great legacy of India is continuously rising in the world. Our initiatives towards Net Zero are an inspiration for many countries.

She said living in cities which are pollution free, clean and with amenities is the right of Indian citizens.

"Investments on an unprecedented scale have been made, particularly in small cities and towns, in last 10 years. India is the world's third largest domestic aviation market. In April 2014, India had only 209 airline routes. This number has increased to 605 by April 2024. In 10 years, Metro has reached 21 cities. Work is going on in many schemes such as Vande Metro. The government is working to make India's public transport system one of the best in the world."

The President said that the government has, in 10 years, constructed more than 3,80,000 kilometres of village roads under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana.

"Work on the High-Speed Rail Ecosystem between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is also progressing at a rapid pace. My Government has decided to conduct feasibility studies for bullet train corridors in the North, South and East of the country," she said.

"The North-East will also be a hub of Made in India chips. My Government is continuously working for lasting peace in the North-East. The work of withdrawing AFSPA from the disturbed areas of the North-East is also underway in a phased manner by accelerating development in those areas," she added.

The President said the Government is committed to women-led development has started a new era of women empowerment.

She said solar panels are being installed on the rooftops of houses under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and the government has been providing a support of upto Rupees 78,000 per family.

She said achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat will be possible only when the poor, youth, women and farmers of this country are empowered.

"In the last 10 years, focus on last mile delivery has changed the lives of these sections. The change is more evident especially in the tribal communities."

The President said the Government is integrating all the social security schemes for workers.

"Empowerment of the poor has been the foundation of the achievements and progress of the nation in the last 10 years."

The President said that often, due to adversarial mindset and narrow selfishness, the basic spirit of democracy has been greatly undermined.

"It affects the parliamentary system as well as the developmental journey of the nation. During the phase of unstable governments in the country that lasted several decades, many governments, even if willing, were neither able to bring reforms nor take critical decisions. The people of India have now changed this situation by their decisive mandate. Many such reforms have taken place in the last 10 years which are greatly benefitting the nation today."

She said the reforms brought by the government have made India's banking sector one of the strongest banking sectors in the world.

"Our public sector banks are robust and profitable today. Profits of public sector banks have crossed Rs 1.4 lakh crore in 2023-24 which is 35 per cent higher than last year."

She said the entire world is excited about Digital India and Digital Payments.

The President said reforms in armed forces should be a continuous process so that our forces maintain their supremacy during wars.

India is now manufacturing defence equipment worth more than one lakh crore rupees and defence exports have increased more than 18 times in the last decade to the level of Rs 21,000 crore.

The BrahMos Missile defence deal with the Philippines has strengthened India's standing in defence export sector, she said.

The President said the government is involved in creating an enabling environment for the youth of this country to dream big and realise those dreams.

"In the last 10 years, every such obstacle which caused trouble to our youth has been removed. Now students can take up engineering courses in Indian languages. In the past 10 years 7 new IITs, 16 IIITs, 7 IIMs, 15 new AIIMS, 315 medical colleges and 390 universities have been established. The Government is working towards establishing a Digital University as well," she said.

"Whether it is competitive examinations or Government recruitment there should be no reason for any hindrance. This process requires complete transparency and probity. Regarding the recent instances of paper leak in some examinations, my Government is committed to a fair investigation and ensuring strict punishment to the culprits. Even earlier, we have witnessed many instances of paper leaks in different States. It is important that we rise above party-politics and undertake concrete measures nationwide," she added.

She said the Parliament has also enacted a strict law against unfair means in examinations and the government is working towards major reforms in examination related bodies, their functioning and all aspects of the examination process.

She said Indian Olympic Association is also preparing to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

"While building the future, my Government is re-establishing the splendour and heritage of Indian culture. Our successes are our shared heritage. We should, therefore, take pride and not hesitate in embracing them," she said.

The President said the "whole world respects us" as the Mother of Democracy.

"The people of India have always demonstrated complete trust in democracy and expressed full faith in the electoral institutions. We need to preserve and protect this trust to sustain our robust democracy. We must realise that hurting the faith of people in democratic institutions and the electoral process is like cutting the very branch on which we all are sitting.

"We should collectively denounce every attempt to undermine the credibility of our democracy. We all remember those times when ballot papers were snatched and looted. To ensure the sanctity of the electoral process, it was decided to use EVMs."

Noting that in this era of communication revolution, disruptive forces are conspiring to weaken democracy and create fissures in the society, the President said these forces are present within the country and are also operating from outside the country.

"These forces resort to rumour-mongering, misleading the people and misinformation. This situation cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. Today, technology is advancing every day. In such a situation, its misuse against humanity can be extremely harmful."

She said the global order is taking a new shape in this third decade of 21st century.

"Due to the efforts of Government, Bharat is giving a new confidence to the world as a Vishwa-Bandhu. Due to its human-centric approach, India today is the first responder in any crisis and has become a strong voice of the Global South.

The President said that in a few months, India is going to complete 75 years as a Republic.

"The Constitution of India has stood up to every challenge and every test in the past decades. Even when the Constitution was in the making, there were forces in the world who wished India to fail. Even after the Constitution came into force, it was attacked many times."

"My Government also does not consider the Constitution of India as just a medium of governance, rather we are making efforts to ensure that our Constitution becomes a part of public consciousness. Now the Constitution has also fully come into force in that part of India, our Jammu and Kashmir, where the conditions were different due to Article 370."

She said in the coming years the decisions taken and policies framed by the Government and the Parliament of India will be keenly watched by the whole world.

"It is the responsibility of every Member of Parliament as well as of the Government, to ensure the country gets utmost benefits during this favourable period. We all need to always remember that making India a developed nation is the aspiration and resolve of every citizen of the country."

"All of us are responsible for ensuring that no obstacles come in the way of achieving this resolution. Opposition of policies and obstruction of parliamentary functioning are two different things. When Parliament conducts its business smoothly, when healthy deliberations take place here, when far-reaching decisions are taken, then the people repose confidence not only in the Government but also in the entire system...

"I am confident that every moment of Parliament will be fully utilised and public interest will be given priority. Let us all together, with full devotion to our duties, get actively involved in fulfilling national resolutions and make India a developed nation."

Kharge, who posted his remarks on X, said PM Modi is not prepared to accept the verdict of people and is behaving as if nothing has changed.

"The truth is that people had sought a change," he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said Modi government is talking of Emergency even after about 50 years.

"It is a minority government, Modi ji has already lost the majority, but there is no mention of it...Even after 50 years, they are talking about an Emergency, there has been an Emergency in this country for 10 years, remove that...," he added.

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said there was no mention in the address of mention of minorities or unemployment.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said there was no logic in talking about Emergency in the President's address.

"She should have spoken about today's issues. We did not hear anything about the NEET exam or unemployment. The word Manipur did not come from President Murmu or PM Modi. Issues like the India-China border should have been taken up in the address," he said. (ANI)