Government moving with guarantee of fulfilling citizens' dreams, says President in Parliament; Opposition parties slam address

New Delhi [India], January 31 : Noting that the government is moving ahead with the guarantee of fulfilling the dreams of 140 crore countrymen, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday highlighted its achievements across domains and said the grand edifice of a 'Viksit Bharat' will be erected on four pillars of youth power, women power, farmers and poor.
Addressing the joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament, Murmu said India is a leading voice in the world against terrorism and the government has firmly placed India's interests before the world even in this era of global disputes and conflicts.
Opposition members said the government had written an "election speech" for the President and said that issues such as growing disparity in incomes, unemployment and price of rice had not been addressed.
This is the last session of the present Lok Sabha with general elections likely to take place in April-May this year.
She said the new Parliament building has the fragrance of "Shrestha Bharat" and reflects the glory of India's culture and civilization.
This was the first address by the President in the new Parliament building. The President said the new Parliament building was constructed at the beginning of the Amrit Kaal period, which aims to make India a developed country by 2047.
"The achievements that we see today are the extension of the practices of the last 10 years. We heard the slogan of 'Gareebi Hatao' since our childhood. Today, for the first time in our lives, we see poverty being alleviated on a large scale".
"In the last 10 years, we have seen India transform from "fragile five" to a "top five" economy; India's exports have increased from about USD 450 billion to more than USD 775 billion; FDI flows have doubled; sales of Khadi and Village Industries products have increased by more than 4 times and the number of people filing Income Tax Return has increased from about Rs 3.25 crore to about Rs 8.25 crore," he added.
President Murmu talked of the Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya temple earlier this month.
"There come junctures in the history of civilizations, which shape the future for the coming centuries. There have been many such defining moments in the history of India also. This year, on January 22, the country witnessed a similar epochal moment. After waiting for centuries, Ram Lalla has now been enshrined in his grand temple in Ayodhya. This was a matter of aspirations and faith for crores of our countrymen and the resolution of this has been accomplished in a harmonious manner."
She said the MPs represent the aspirations of crores of Indians.
"The dreams of the youth in schools and colleges today are completely different. It is the responsibility of all of us to leave no stone unturned to fulfill the dreams of the Amrit generation. Viksit Bharat will fulfill the dreams of our Amrit generation. For this, we all have to work together to achieve success in this endeavour."
She said the government has kept the inflation under control despite global challenges and did not allow the burden on people to increase.
"The world has faced two wars and Covid-19 in the past few years. Despite the global crises, my government kept inflation under control across the country and did not put the burden on the citizens," the President said in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament.
Retail inflation in India in December 2023 was at 5.69 per cent.
"The year 2023 was a historic year for India, when it grew the fastest among major economies despite the global crisis. India grew about 7.5 per cent for two consecutive quarters," she said.
The President said Rs 2.80 lakh crore has been given to farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.
She said the government has been continuously working on making it easy to do business in India and creating a suitable environment.
Reacting to President Murmu's address, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the speech "was only about praising PM Modi and their government".
"It was a propaganda, advertisement for PM Modi and a political speech," he said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the government wrote "an election speech" for the President.
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali said there was nothing special in the speech of the President.
The budget session of Parliament began with the President's address and will continue till February 9.