Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday expressed his dissatisfaction over the Motion of Thanks address by the President and stated that the speech felt repetitive. “I struggled through the President’s address because it is the same thing that I have heard Presidents speak over the years,” he said.
Gandhi criticised the speech as a mere “laundry list” of government achievements, lacking a broader vision for the nation. He questioned the format of such addresses and wondered how an India Alliance-led government would present a different perspective.
He asserted his intent to outline an alternative vision, offering insights into how a future President’s address should reflect a more inclusive and dynamic governance approach. His remarks signal a broader debate on governance priorities in Parliament.
“The future of this country will be decided by the youth of this country. Anything I say has to be addressed to them, focused on them,” he further said.
The Leader of Opposition added, “The first thing in front of us. This is something PM and everyone in this room will accept. Even though we have grown, we have grown fast. We are growing slightly slower now. A universal problem we have not been able to tackle is unemployment. Neither the UPA govt nor today’s NDA govt has give a clear cut answer to youth on employment.”
Opposition MPs raised slogans in both houses of Parliament on Day 3 of the Budget session, demanding a discussion on the stampede that took place during the Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj, tragically resulting in the death of 30 lives and leaving over 60 others injured.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla criticised the Opposition for disrupting the proceedings during Question Hour, saying, “Have the people of India elected you as MPs to engage in sloganeering and disturb the House’s proceedings?”
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed his displeasure, remarking that it was unprecedented for MPs to disrupt a session during an obituary of deceased members, calling such behaviour “highly disrespectful.”
While both houses of Parliament were marked by uproar from opposition leaders, Lok Sabha commenced its Question Hour and Rajya Sabha continued its opening remarks. Opposition members in both chambers raised slogans against the central government.
On the agenda for the day, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is expected to submit its final report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to the Lok Sabha. Additionally, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is set to respond to the Motion of Thanks for the President’s address, delivered last Friday. A heated discussion on the Union Budget for 2025, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday, is also anticipated in both houses of Parliament on Monday.
The Budget session of Parliament began on January 31 with an inaugural address by President Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar also delivered speeches on Day 1, praising the country’s rapid economic growth, government policies, and the focus on empowering women, or ‘nari shakti’. On Friday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey for 2024-25, projecting India’s GDP to grow by 6.4 percent in FY2025.