The Budget Session of the Parliament drew to an end on Saturday, 10 February, with the Lok Sabha taking up the discussion on the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh, while the Rajya Sabha held a discussion on the 'white paper,' presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the lower house on the day before.
In his last speech in Parliament before the 2024 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon the construction of Ram Mandir, impact of India's G20 Presidency, and various "game-changing reforms" including the decision to criminalise instant triple talaq and the passing of the women's reservation bill.
Here are ten key highlights from the Session today:
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the 17th Lok Sabha saw a productivity of 97 percent -- the highest in the last five years, he claimed.
PM Modi said that in the last five years, the ruling government facilitated the country to "reform, perform and transform."
Modi stated that during this Lok Sabha's term, several "long-awaited" decisions were taken. He mentioned abrogation of Article 370, which read down the special status awarded to Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, 2023.
On the construction of the Ram Mandir, Modi said, "It will give constitutional strength to the future generations to feel proud of the country's values."
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said that the Ram Temple has been constructed as per Supreme Court’s orders, "which is welcomed by all 140 crore Indians." He added, “I am a Ram devotee not his salesman. I believe in Ram’s principle."
Meanwhile, FM Sitharaman led the discussion on the 'white paper' in the Rajya Sabha, saying, "The economy we inherited was like a cloth on thorny bushes."
Sitharaman even took a dig at Congress over conferring the Bharat Ratna -- India's highest civilian award -- to former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Sitharaman said that the unemployment rate for graduates has declined from 17.2 percent in 2017-18 to 13.2 percent in 2022-23. She added that the overall unemployment has declined from 5.8 percent to 3.2 percent in the last financial year.
Congress MP KC Venugopal asked as to why demonetisation found no mention the the ruling government's 'white paper.' He said, "This White Paper is hiding the dark truth."
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar hailed the consecration of the Ram Temple on 22 January as a day of “national festival”. He called the temple a symbol of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”.
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