Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned for the day.

The members of the opposition parties such as the Congress and the DMK raised the discriminatory attitude of the NDA government against the southern states in the Rajya Sabha.

Participating in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury and DMK MP Kanimozhi NVN Somu argued that southern states are not only deprived of the financial support that they deserve but even the commitments made to two of them in Parliament has also been disrespected and disregarded.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said that the president in the address talked about serving the 140 crore people of this country, however, no scheme or fund was announced for Tamil Nadu treating the state in a step-motherly way.

AAP Rajya Sabha member Vikramjit Singh Sahney  expressed concern over students facing difficulties in getting job placements and suggested several measures, including boosting manufacturing, to address the problem of unemployment.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour, he said IITs and NITs are the premier educational institutions of the country, but 38 per cent of IIT graduates remained unplaced last year.

He further said the Indian IT sector, a major job creator, too witnessed a decline in new hirings.

The AAP member highlighted that it was difficult to get loans under the PM MUDRA scheme due to the stringent norms of banks.

Speaking about "Viksit Bharat", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "There are examples that countries became developed in 20-25 years, why can't we do it? We need to move forward with this hope and we will become developed by 2047." 

He added: "My request to every party is that nothing is greater than the country. We should walk together with this dream. People should say in future that there was a Parliament session where every MP worked towards 'Viksit Bharat'." 

He then concluded his speech.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hit out at the Congress for the party's remarks on President Droupadi Murmu.

"We have a woman president, who belongs to a poor family, if you couldn't respect her, that's one thing. But the things that were said against her, what could be the reason for it," he said. 

As the Budget Session began on Friday, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi used the phrase "poor thing" to describe Ms Murmu. After Ms Murmu finished her address to Parliament, Ms Gandhi said "by the end, she could hardly speak, poor thing".

BJP MPs on Monday moved a breach of parliamentary privilege notice against Ms Gandhi for her "derogatory and slanderous words" to describe the President.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, saying: "Some people feel they are not mature enough if they don't talk about foreign policy, even at the cost of the nation." 

His remarks came a day after Mr Gandhi alleged that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the US last year for an "invite" to Mr Modi for President Donald Trump's inauguration. Mr Jaishankar has dismissed the allegation, even as it triggered a political row.

"For some, talking about caste is fashion. For the last 30 years, OBC MPs have been demanding a constitutional status for OBCs. We gave them a constitutional status. We created a skill ministry to help the downtrodden," PM Modi said.

Taking a swipe at the Gandhi family, PM Modi said: "Has it ever happened that in the same period, there have been 3 SC/ST MPs from the same family? I want to say there is a lot of difference in some people's words and deeds." 

जाति की बातें करना कुछ लोगों का फैशन बन गया है।
पिछले 30 साल से सदन में आने वाले ओबीसी समाज के सांसद दलों के भेदभाव से ऊपर उठकर एक होकर मांग कर रहे थे कि ओबीसी कमीशन को संवैधानिक दर्जा दिया जाए।
जिन लोगों को आज जातिवाद में मलाई दिखती है, उन लोगों को उस समय ओबीसी की याद नहीं… pic.twitter.com/M6Dr7h8D9z

— BJP LIVE (@BJPLive) February 4, 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said the "landslide victories in Haryana and Maharashtra are historic". His remarks came a day after Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi once again questioned the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections that were held last year, alleging discrepancies in the state's voter list, and demanded that the Election Commission (EC) provide data on the electoral roll to the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for an analysis. 

"Those who live with Constitution in their pockets, forget how they pushed Muslim women into hardships," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha.

"Some leaders speak language of urban naxals, talk of waging war against the Indian state, they cannot understand the Constitution," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

"We are focusing on youngsters but some people are betraying them. Such people make election promises but do not fulfill most of them. This group is an 'AAPda' on the future of the youngsters," Mr Modi said, as he continued to take a swipe at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi ahead of the crucial polls. 

"How we function was visible in Haryana. We promised jobs and as soon as we formed the government, the youngsters got jobs. We deliver on our promises," he added. 

"For some people, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fashionable term. For me, it has dual meanings - Artificial Intelligence and Aspirational India. This budget, there is a provision for 50,000 new AI labs. The budget spoke about investment in Deep tech. The 21st century is a tech-driven century and we want the country to move forward in this field," Mr Modi said.

"One Prime Minister used to repeat the word 21st century a lot. RK Laxman drew an interesting cartoon then. In that cartoon, there was a plane and a pilot and the plane was on a cart and workers were pushing that cart and 21st century was written on it," Mr Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also highlighted his government's latest decision to not impose tax on people who earn less than Rs 12 lakh. 

"In 2014, there was no tax till only Rs 2 lakh salary; today that number is Rs 12 lakh. The salaried class will not have to pay tax on Rs 12.75 lakh after April 1 if we count the standard deduction," he said.

While presenting the Union Budget 2025-26 on Saturday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there would be no income tax payable up to an income of Rs 12 lakh annually. The decision has drawn praise from salaried individuals as well as the corporate sector with some calling it a "game-changer".

"We laid a strong foundation for development. The government treasury saved money because of this and we also made sure that the people  benefit from this saving. The people have saved Rs 1,20,000 by availing the benefits of the Ayushman Yojana scheme," Mr Modi said, referring to the central government's health insurance scheme.

"Our swachhata abhiyan (Swachh Bharat Mission) was criticised as if it was a sin. However, today I can say because of that, the government got Rs 2,300 crore after junk was removed from offices and sold," PM Modi said.

"Earlier, the newspaper headlines used to be on corruption. But now it's been 10 years and we have saved money because of no corruption. We didn't use this money to build a 'sheesh mahal' but we used that to build the country. Ten years ago, the infrastructure budget used to be Rs 1,80,000 crore, today it is Rs 11,00,000 crore," he added. 

"Identifying the solution is one thing. But one needs to make efforts to find a solution as well. Our effort has been to solve the problem. In our country, there used to be a Prime Minister, there was a fashion to call him 'Mr Clean'. At that time from panchayats to Parliament, there was the rule of only one party. And he said when Re 1 is spent, the poor used to get 15 paise," PM Modi said, in an apparent reference to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

"Our model is 'bachat bhi, vikas bhi' - janta ka paisa, janta ke liye. We brought the scheme of direct benefit transfer. We deposited Rs 40 lakh crore directly to the bank accounts of people," he added.

"We have done so much for the poor people that the President spoke about it at length in his speech. Those who do photo ops in huts, they will find the discussion on the poor people boring," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as he continued to attack the Opposition.

"Some leaders are focusing on jacuzzis and stylish showers, but our focus is on getting a water connection in every home. Our government gave tap water to 12 crore families," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, in an apparent jibe at Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, who has been accused of building a "Sheesh Mahal" during his term as Delhi Chief Minister.

"We didn't give slogans to the poor people but gave them real development. I am sad to say this that some people don't have the courage to do this. Till now, we have given four crore houses to the poor people. When a woman is forced to go out in the open to attend nature's call, the difficulty she faces, these kind of people can't understand. We made more than 12 crore toilets to mitigate this problem," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

"In the last 10 years of (BJP) rule, 25 crore people have been able to overcome poverty. Before this, for decades we had been hearing the slogans of 'garibi hatao' (remove poverty) but we could achieve the feat only now," Mr Modi said in his speech in the Lok Sabha.

"I am very fortunate that the people of the country have given me the opportunity for the 14th time to reply to Motion of Thanks on President's Address. So, I respectfully express gratitude to the people. Twenty-five percent of the 21st century is past us now. If we assess the President's Address, it's clearly visible that she laid the foundation of hope for 25 years, to strengthen the Viksit Bharat Sankalp and to inspire citizens," Mr Modi told the Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun addressing the Lok Sabha.
   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the Lok Sabha to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address.

As many as 17,654 companies have been closed down till January 26 in the current financial year and a total of 1,38,027 firms were registered during the same period, according to official data.

The data was shared by Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra to the Rajya Sabha as part of a written reply on Tuesday.

As per the data, 17,654 companies have been shuttered in the current financial year till January 26.

The figure includes companies that have been amalgamated, converted into LLPs, liquidated/dissolved and struck off from the official records.

The government does not tolerate irregularities and will take action if anyone is found guilty of indulging in corruption, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said amid allegations of corruption in Maharastra's agriculture department.

Chouhan was responding to an allegation levelled by NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, who quoted a minister and an MLA of Maharashtra of talking about alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in the state's agriculture department.

"This is for the first time I am hearing. I don't know what is the real position. But if there is any irregularity anywhere, we will conduct an inquiry and action will be taken against the guilty," he said in the Lok Sabha.

Makhana cultivation has expanded from approximately 13,000 hectares to 35,000 hectares across multiple states, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

In the Budget 2025-26 tabled Saturday, the government announced a Makhana Board be established in Bihar, a key grower of nutri-rich food. The board will work to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana.

Over the years, 15,824.1 kg of high-yielding Makhana seeds have been distributed to farmers, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and organizations across various states. Significant beneficiaries include institutions like NABARD, fisheries departments, Bihar Horticulture Development Society and farmers from regions such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, the minister said in the written reply.

Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the government for showering flower petals after the stampede, even as bodies of the dead lay in hospitals and mortuaries. 

"God knows how many slippers, clothes, and sarees were lying there and they lifted all of them using JCB machines and tractor trolleys. Nobody knows where they were thrown," he said.

He added that those who went for the holy dip instead returned with the bodies of their loved ones.

#WATCH | Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav says "When it was known that some people had lost their lives, their bodies were lying in the mortuary and in the hospital, then the govt filled their government helicopter with flowers and showered flower petals. What kind of… pic.twitter.com/vI2kbLsO6p

— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2025

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Akhilesh said the government is releasing figures of the Union Budget, but not giving the names of those who died in the Maha Kumbh.

He urged that the disaster management and lost and found at Maha Kumbh be given to the army and details of all arrangements be presented in the House. "If the government is not at fault, why have the numbers been removed or hidden?" he asked.

He also urged that a two-minute silence be observed in the House to honour those who died in the stampede.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi gave an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha over the issue of the Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj, which occurred on January 29.

Gogoi, in his letter, stated that due to inadequate safety measures, overcrowding, and lapses in crowd management, the Maha Kumbh, which he called a sacred event, turned into a tragedy that shook the entire nation.

"The Maha Kumbh, one of the largest religious congregations in the world, was expected to be a gathering of spiritual importance and unity. However, due to inadequate safety measures, overcrowding, and lapses in crowd management, this sacred event turned into a tragedy that shook the entire nation," his letter further read.

Congress MP from Kanyakumari Vijayakumar alias Vijay Vasanth moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the railway infrastructure and allocation of funds for Tamil Nadu.

He highlighted that despite the state being allocated Rs6,626 crore for railway projects, several pressing concerns continue to affect the timely development of the state's railway system, highlighting gaps in execution, transparency, and the actual impact on infrastructure development.

"I rise today to bring to the House's attention the critical issues regarding the railway infrastructure and services in Tamil Nadu, which remains a lifeline for millions of people. Despite the state being allocated Rs 6,626 crore for railway projects, several pressing concerns continue to affect the timely development of the state's railway system, and the Government's intervention is urgently needed," Vasanth said in his adjournment notice.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the address of the President to the two Houses was similar to the one made last year, and claimed that it was the same "laundry list" of things the government has done.

Participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address on January 31, Gandhi said successive governments, be it the UPA or the present NDA, have not been able to tackle unemployment and give a clear-cut answer to youth about employment.

He also said 'Make in India' was a good idea, but the prime minister "pretty much failed".

An uproar erupted in both the Lower and Upper Houses of the Parliament, with Opposition MPs continuously raising slogans against the government over several issues, including the Mahakumbh stampede.

Soon, Opposition MPs walked out, but returned after the Question Hour was over.

Similar protests and sloganeering were also witnessed in the Rajya Sabha.

A stampede incident occurred at the Mahakumbh Mela on the second Shahi Snan on the occasion of Mauni Amawasya, which claimed at least 30 lives and around 60 individuals were injured in the incident.