Modi to address NDA parliamentary meet, reply to President's address
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday respond to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Lok Sabha. Before his parliamentary speech, PM Modi will address the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting at 9:30am. This will be his first address to the ruling bloc's MPs after securing his third term in office. Proceedings of both Houses of Parliament will begin at 11:00am.
Gandhi attacks government over NEET, Manipur, Agnipath scheme
PM Modi's response in Parliament will come a day after Rahul Gandhi's fiery speech as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. During his 62-minute speech, Gandhi criticized the government on several issues, prompting interventions from senior leaders including PM Modi. The speech touched upon topics ranging from the conflict in Manipur to the NEET controversy, Agnipath scheme for armed forces recruitment, farm crisis, inflation and "politics of hate."
Gandhi's comments on Hinduism stir controversy
Gandhi's speech, delivered in both Hindi and English, sparked controversy when he said "those who call themselves Hindu only talk about violence, hatred, untruth...you are not Hindus at all." The PM intervened and said, "Calling the entire community violent is a very serious matter." Gandhi clarified that his comments were aimed at the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's interpretation of Hinduism. Notably, several portions of Gandhi's speech were expunged, including his comments on Hindus, and PM Modi-BJP-RSS, among others.
Gandhi criticizes government's economic policies
Gandhi further criticized the government's handling of the economy, accusing it of failing to create jobs or control prices. He said "MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises] have been destroyed. The backbone of job creation has been wrecked due to demonetisation and the flawed GST [Goods and Services Tax]." He also accused PM Modi of favoring billionaires and undermining laws designed to protect farmers.
Gandhi targets Agniveer scheme; Rajnath, Amit Shah respond
Gandhi also targeted the Agniveer scheme, stating, "I met the family of an Agniveer. I call him a martyr. But Modi calls him Agniveer. There is no pension for him, there is no status of a martyr." He accused the government of creating divisions among soldiers. His comments prompted responses from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah who defended the scheme. Gandhi also addressed the controversy surrounding NEET-UG exams.
