The Lok Sabha has resumed discussion on no-confidence motion. Intervening in the discussion, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, India has now become the fastest-growing economy in the world due to the transformative governance and policy reforms initiated by the government since 2014. Highlighting the steps taken by the government in the last nine years, she said, agriculture, defence export, credit to farmers, food production, tap water connections and highways witnessed transformative growth in these years.
Talking about the steps taken by the government to improve the condition of Public Sector Banks, the Minister stressed that gross Non-Performing Assets (NPA) are at decadal low. She added that the Public Sector Banks now stand at over one lakh crore rupees profit mark. She said, transformation has become possible due to actual delivery and not through spoken words. The Minister also said, India is now witnessing high growth and low inflation wherein the country witnessed high inflation and low growth during the UPA rule. She accused the previous UPA government of only showing dreams and promoting crony capitalism and corruption. T
he Minister asserted that the present government believes in empowering all and appeasement of none. She expressed confidence that the people defeated UPA in 2014 and 2019 and the situation will be the same in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. When the Minister was responding to DMK member TR Baalu's queries on AIIMS Madurai, some DMK and Congress members protested alleging that no work has been done related to the project. Later, members from Congress, DMK and others staged a walkout from the House. Speaking against the no confidence motion LJP (R) MP Chirag Paswan said, opposition leaders in their speeches only blamed the government and did not talk about any solution to the Manipur situation. Rahul Shewale of Shiv Sena also spoke against the no confidence motion. Locket Chatterjee of BJP questioned opposition for not speaking on atrocities against women in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. She said, TMC had sent a fact finding committee to Manipur but it did not talk about violence in West Bengal during Panchayat Polls.
Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM raised the issue of scholarship of minority students. He said, several scholarships have been discontinued due to which around one lakh 80 thousand muslim students are facing difficulties to pursue higher education. Mahua Moitra of TMC said, the no confidence motion is intended to break the alleged silence of the government on the Manipur issue. She said, comparing Manipur situation with other states is not appropriate as over 60 thousand people have been displaced in the state.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress, said none of the opposition parties were thinking about this no-confidence motion and they were only demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come to the Parliament and speak on the Manipur issue. He also spoke against polarization and communalization. Treasury bench members objected to some of his remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Intervening in the debate, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia highlighted several measures of the government for the welfare of the people. Opposition members staged a walk out from the House when Mr. Scindia was speaking. The discussion is underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the discussion in a short while from now.
