BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj gave a notice in the Lok Sabha today, pointing out alleged inaccuracies in the speech made by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Asked by Speaker Om Birla, Swaraj said Gandhi made certain inaccurate statements in his speech yesterday, and urged the Chair to take cognizance of her notice.

After Gandhi’s speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress leader of making untruthful claims about a number of issues, including the Agnipath scheme and the compensation paid to locals in Ayodhya.

They said, a member wishing to point out any mistake or inaccuracy in a statement made by a minister or any other member can, before referring to the matter in the House, write to the Speaker pointing out the particulars of the mistake or the inaccuracy and seek permission to raise the issue.

The member may place before the speaker such evidence as that she or he has in support of the allegation.

The speaker can bring the matter to the notice of the minister or the member concerned to ascertain the factual position.

 Significant portions of the Congress leader’s speech were expunged from the records by the Chair.

Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the 2024 Lok Sabha polls marked the end of communal politics in India, and were a moral victory for the INDIA bloc.

He also questioned the authenticity of EVMs and said he and his party will oppose it even if his party wins all seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Treasury Benches members protested against his criticism of the electronic voting machines.

Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP’s defeat in Faizabad seat of Ayodhya, where the Ram temple has been built, shows the wisdom of voters.

Referring to the BJP’s defeat in Faizabad, he said it was perhaps the wish of Lord Ram. Ayodhya falls under this constituency.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla later said it would be better if questions were not raised on the impartiality of the Election Commission.

Speaking on the NEET issue, he said the achievement of last ten years is the birth of an education mafia. The most prestigious paper in the country was also leaked and the government is enabling leaks because they don’t want to give jobs to youth, he alleged.

Backing the demand for caste census, he said social justice is not possible without it.

He also said that the INDIA bloc, when it comes to power, will scrap the Agnipath scheme, and bring back the old pension scheme.

Santosh Pandey of BJP in his speech hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for linking Hinduism with violence. He asked who killed Praveen Nettaru in Karnataka and who beheaded Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan? Who are the people causing violence in Jammu and Kashmir and raising slogans in favour of Palestine?

Nishikant Dubey of BJP said the speeches of the opposition leaders are full of untruths.  He said the Congress-JMM government in Jharkhand has slapped 44 criminal cases against him and also targeted his family members, as he attacked opposition parties for their allegation that the BJP has been misusing central agencies against them.

Dubey expressed concern over why he said was the rising numbers of infiltrators from Bangladesh in Jharkhand, alleging that they are engaged in crimes. That is what the prime minister raises the issue of infiltrators.

He spoke about the repression during the Emergency and noted that leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and K Karunanidhi were arrested during the era. He took a swipe at their children for joining hands with the Congress.

Dubey slammed Rahul Gandhi for his swipe at the Speaker for greeting the prime minister with a bow, accusing him of lowering the parliamentary discourse. Dubey said he has been opposed to the Congress but has greeted Sonia Gandhi respectfully, adding that it is India culture to greet those seniors in age or experience with respect.

Kalyan Banerjee of Trinamool Congress said the recent Lok Sabha elections had ushered in a change in the country which he claimed now has an unstable government and a strong opposition.

Banerjee said the prime minister has to depend on two crutches in Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) to run the government. He asked the central government to not treat like opposition-ruled states like enemies.

K C Venugopal of Congress alleged the BJP leaders used religion to polarise the electorate and win elections.

He said the BJP projected the prime minister as bigger than God, which was the biggest anti-Hindu statement.

Dilip Saikia of BJP called the opposition’s claims of threat to the Constitution and collapse of law and order unfounded and sought apology from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for the Emergency in 1975 and his alleged criticism of Hinduism.

Saikia called on Rahul Gandhi to apologize for three specific issues — criticizing Indian culture, Hinduism, and Sanatan Dharma, the 1975 Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, which he said trampled democracy and the alleged lack of internal democracy within the Congress party, referencing the appointment of Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister over Sardar Patel.

He further defended the BJP’s track record in Manipur and the North-East, asserting that the Modi government had integrated these regions through infrastructure projects like rail and internet connectivity.

Laal ji Verma of Samajwadi Party said the government was formed due to the bias of the Election Commission.

Harsimrat Kaur, the lone Akali Dal MP in the Lok Sabha, emphasized her party’s neutrality, neither aligning with the opposition nor the government.

 She raised concerns about Punjab, calling for it to be recognized as a key agricultural state and urging an end to labeling it as terrorist-prone.

She also requested the reopening of the Atari border to boost trade and questioned why trade could be facilitated through Gujarat but not Punjab.

Kaur criticized both Congress and BJP for failing to address this issue despite promises. She also called for more peaceful and secure border areas to foster industrial growth and stressed the importance of refraining from interference in religious affairs.

Saumitra Khan of BJP said Trinamool Congress was seeking respect from the Prime Minister in Parliament, but in West Bengal opposition legislators were given a cold shoulder.

Khan said women were not respected in West Bengal and were beaten and paraded on the streets by leaders of the Trinamool Congress.

Sunil Tatkare of NCP said it was ironical for the Trinamool Congress and DMK to join hands with the Congress, a party that had mistreated their leaders. Mamata Banerjee had to quit the Congress due to the high handedness of the Congress, Tatkare said.

Tatkare said DMK members A Raja and Kanimozhi had to go to jail due to cases filed against them during the UPA government.

Ajay Bhatt of BJP, called for maintaining decorum in discussions, recalling the constitutional preservation efforts during the 1975 Emergency.

He criticized the Opposition’s language and accused them of trying to please others by insulting Hinduism.

P P Choudhary of BJP praised the government’s achievements over the past decade, emphasizing reforms that have transformed the economy.
He criticized those who label Hindu society as violent and called for apologies for misinformation about the Agnipath scheme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the people have given his government a mandate for stability and continuity for the third consecutive term after testing it on every criterion.

Replying to a two-day debate on the President’s address to both houses of Parliament, he said the people have seen the dedication with which his government served them for 10 years.

He said in his third term, his government will work with triple speed and strength to achieve three times more results.

Amid vociferous protests by the opposition Modi said the mandate for the BJP’s rivals was to sit in the opposition and keep shouting after running out of arguments.

He urged Speaker Om Birla to take serious action against Rahul Gandhi for making false allegations in his speech. The prime minister did not directly name the Leader of Opposition. He said a particular community was insulted in the House by being linked with violence and hate.

Before the prime minister’s reply, opposition members wanted Speaker Om Birla to allow the MPs from Manipur to speak in the House but he said a member from the northeastern state had already spoken on Monday. They then trooped into the Well of the House, drawing a sharp rebuke from Birla.

The prime minister said he can understand the pain of some, who despite spreading lies and misleading the people, had to face a massive defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

People have chosen us in this biggest election exercise, he said.
 Modi said this was the first time in the history of the Congress that for three consecutive times it has not been able to cross 100 seats.

This is the third biggest defeat for the Congress. It would have been good if the Congress would have accepted its defeat and done some introspection, he said.

People have blessed his government for its zero tolerance against corruption and lifting over 25 crore people out of poverty, he said.

The prime minister said India’s prestige has increased and the country is being looked up to by the world.

   
The country has seen that our primary objective is ‘nation first’. Every step and action of ours has been guided by ‘nation first’, he said.

Modi said before 2014, people had lost self confidence and a mood of hope and confidence soared after his government to power.

Lok Sabha also passed a motion moved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condemning the obstructionist behaviour of opposition parties during Modi’s reply. Home Minister Amit Shah seconded the motion.

Speaker Om Birla also criticised the opposition’s behaviour including the conduct of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The House was later adjourned sine die.