Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to give a reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.
As the PM is set to address today, the Opposition is expected to raise the issue of the Maha Kumbh stampede, a key matter it has been targeting the government over since the Budget Session commenced on Friday.
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The PM’s speech comes a day after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi attacked the NDA government over several issues during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
Gandhi stated that neither the Congress-led UPA nor the BJP-led NDA had been able to tackle the issue of unemployment. He said that while Modi’s “Make in India” was a good idea, it had failed to revive the country’s manufacturing sector.
The LoP claimed that the share of manufacturing in GDP had declined from 15.3 per cent in 2014 to 12.6 per cent, the lowest in the past six decades.
He also targeted the Modi government over Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s US visit, during which he allegedly made efforts to get an invitation for PM Modi to Donald Trump’s coronation.
However, the government slammed his remarks and demanded an apology. Dr Jaishankar clarified that his US visit was not aimed at securing an invitation for PM Modi, as India has a policy of sending special envoys for such occasions.
Demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Speaker Om Birla of the Lok Sabha had asked the Opposition leader four times to authenticate his claims, but the LoP left the House without providing the necessary substantiation.
“When the Leader of the Opposition (Rahul Gandhi) was speaking today, the Speaker also said four times that he should authenticate his claims. But he spoke and left. LoP is a responsible post, and they should present their statements with thoughtfulness. If we take Rahul Gandhi’s statement lightly, then in the future too, any LoP would come and say whatever they feel like and leave. He should authenticate what he said; otherwise, the Chair should take action,” Rijiju said.
