Parliament Budget Session Live Updates: Rahul Gandhi's Remarks On India-China Border Draw BJP's Sharp Reaction

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday 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.

On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal says, “One of the historic speeches of the Parliament. It was a visionary statement from Rahul Gandhi. Anyone can blame but everyone saw how he presented the issue of unemployment and caste census… Democracy is in danger in this country… The government has to clarify the reason behind removing the CJI from the selection body of the Election Commission… It was one the best speeches of the Parliament…”

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, “Imagine the power of AI when we apply it to the caste census. Imagine what we will do with AI and what we will do with the social revolution in this country when we start to apply AI to the data that we get from the caste census. We are going to run a parallel track, on one side revolutionizing the participation of Dalits, OBC and Adivasis in the ruling of this country, in the institutions of this country, in the distribution of wealth of this country and on the other side, parallel track challenge the Chinese and participate in the revolution, defeat the Chinese in electric motors, batteries, solar panels and wind. That is the first two parts of any Presidential address that any INDIA gathbandhan leader would give you.”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “…He (Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi) specifically talked about the kinds of challenges that India needs to rise to if want to become a more developed nation, if we want to keep our youth employed. He talked about the importance of production, he talked about the importance of participation of all sections of society. He also raised some serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the electoral process in order to protect the Constitution. It was a totally different approach to perhaps what may were expecting. Therefore, it has given people a lot to think about. It was good that the Prime Minister was also sitting there, listening to this. I think that the arguments that he made will deserve further reflection and response form the Government which is precisely what the LoP should be doing…”

As the Budget Session resumed on Monday morning in Lok Sabha, the Opposition shouted slogans over the stampede that killed 30 people during Mauni Amavasya at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj last week. The speaker has condemned the behaviour of the Opposition leaders.

The Opposition continued its sloganeering despite Speaker Om Birla’s direction to raise the Maha Kumbh stampede issue after the end of Question Hour. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also appealed to the MPs to maintain order.

On LoP Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s speech today, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “A speech of a leader should be like this only where he lays down a vision for the country. I really liked his speech.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over “unsubstantiated claims” made by Rahul Gandhi and seek Rahul Gandhi to either substantiate his claim or that his speech be taken out of Parliamentary records.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised the Maha Kumbh stampede issue in the House and said that a number of people lost their lives in the incident.

He also sought the “exact” death toll report from the government.

Rahul Gandhi concluded his address in the Lok Sabha with a reference to the caste survey conducted in Telangana where it was concluded that more than half of the population in the state are Backward Classes.

Rahul Gandhi alleged voter discrepancies in Maharashtra Assembly polls, stating that the size of the Himachal Pradesh population was added to the voter list in Maharashtra after the Lok Sabha elections.

“Population of Himachal Pradesh extra has voted in Maharashtra. Interestingly, all new voters are in the constituencies where BJP has won,” he alleged.

Rahul Gandhi slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his “independence” remark and said that the country will always be run by the Constitution and the Opposition will never allow the country to be run by any other book.

Rahul Gandhi has claimed that China is “sitting inside this country” as government of India’s flagship programme “Make-In-India has failed”.

“The reason why Chinese are important is important. China has an industrial system that is far stronger and bigger than this country. The reason China is sitting inside this country is because Make-In-India has failed and because India is refusing to produce,” he said.

“If and when we fight a war with China, we will be fighting with Chinese electric motors, and batteries. It is a non-sustainable proposition,” Rahul Gandhi added.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Army Chief “contradicted” PM Modi on India-China border issue, drawing sharp reaction from the BJP.

“Today we have the Chinese and the PM has denied and the army has contradicted the PM. The has disagreed with the PM that China is sitting on 4000 sq km of our land. PM Modi has denied that the Chinese have not taken our land while our Army Chief says that they are inside our territory,” he said.

Kiren Rijiju retorted, saying that Rahul Gandhi should not make unsubstantiated claims.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar went to the United States to convince the US to invite PM Modi to the US. Jaishankar attended the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump on January 20 as special envoy to the PM.

Rahul Gandhi said that neither the UPA not the NDA government “has given a clear-cut answer to the youth of this country about employment”.

Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Make-In-India and said that India has failed as a country to “organise production” and the phone (in his hand) was made in China and only “assembled” in India.

“We have failed as a country to organise production. We have handed over this to the Chinese. This phone is not made in India – it’s made in China,” he said.

Make In India was a good idea but PM Modi failed, Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha. PM Modi was present in the Lok Sabha during his address.

Rahul Gandhi said that there was nothing new in the President’s address and he struggled to maintain his attention while she was addressing the joint session of both Houses of the Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session.

Leader of Opposition In Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi addressed the Lok Sabha during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Lok Sabha on Monday during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. He will address the House tomorrow at 5 pm.

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Monday levelled a huge allegation on the Uttar Pradesh government, stating that the bodies who died in the Maha Kumbh stampede were “thrown in the river because of which the water has been contaminated”.

She said that there are no arrangements for the common man visiting the holy place for Snan.

The actor-turned-politician also questioned the figures of the number of devotees visiting the Maha Kumbh.

“Where is the water most contaminated right now? It’s in Kumbh. Bodies (of those who died in the stampede) have been thrown in the river because of which the water has been contaminated… The real issues are not being addressed. The common people visiting Kumbh are not receiving any special treatment, there is no arrangement for them. They are lying that crores of people have visited the place, how can such a large number of people gather in that place at any given point?” she asked.

Congress Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the government was attempting to hide answers on the issue of deaths in the Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj.

He said that an investigation into the incident must be conducted and “lapses by the Uttar Pradesh government should be revealed”.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Lok Sabha that the investigation into the Maha Kumbh stampede incident is underway.

“Investigation is underway on the Maha Kumbh stampede. When the probe is complete, you will have to hang your heads in shame after knowing who effected the mishap,” he said.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that Congress has a habit of insulting the President of India. “If you want to save the Constitution, then respect the President of the country,” he said.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Sonia Gandhi over her “poor thing” remark on President Droupadi Murmu, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

“For perhaps first time, President Office had to issue a statement on such a matter,” he said.

Sonia Gandhi had claimed that towards the end of her address during the joint sitting of Parliament, the President was “getting very tired” and “she could hardly speak, poor thing”.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reached Parliament where he will address the Lok Sabha today.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad addressed the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has committed a “sin” against Yamuna by allegedly polluting it. He lashed out at the AAP over the pollution in the river and said that the party did not take steps to clean it.

LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Shambhavi Choudhary slammed the Opposition walkout and said that their move shows how “irresponsible they are about the country’s affairs”. Hitting out at the Opposition over the ruckus during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, she said that if the Opposition wants to raise any issue, they can do so during their reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill 2025 was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar on Monday.

BJP MP Ramvir Bidhuri slammed the Delhi government for “disrupting” the implementation of the central schemes in the national capital and said that it kept the people of the city deprived of the benefits of the schemes.

His remarks came while replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha on Monday.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala moved a notice to hold a discussion on the “disrespect” of the Constitution and Dr BR Ambedkar.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will address the House today in reply to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. President Droupadi Murmu had addressed the joint sitting of both Houses on January 31, the first day of the Budget Session.

The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address began in the Parliament on Monday. South Delhi BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri kickstarted the debate.

The Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha staged a walkout of the House as a mark of protest against Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath government over the Maha Kumbh stampede issue that killed several devotees.

Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav attributed the mishap to the “mismanagement of the administration” and claimed that “thousands” were killed in the stampede.

He claimed that the families are not getting the bodies of the deceased and the officials have not taken any action on the issue.

The Question Hour ended at 12 noon on Monday, after being marred by continuous Opposition sloganeering. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the Opposition to take resolve that they would not disrupt the House during the Question Hour and raise their issues only after its conclusion at noon.

“You can raise your issues during your reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, not during the Question Hour. I urge you to make this a norm,” he said.

The Opposition raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the deaths in the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. They chanted slogans such as “Modi-Yogi Down Down” and “Modi-Yogi Shame Shame”.

The Opposition has been disrupting the lower house of the Parliament since it resumed today.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday reconstituted the panel of Vice Chairpersons which will be effective starting today.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked a protesting Opposition MP if he was voted to the Parliament to “break the table”.

“People have not sent you here to break the table, are you here to break the table? If you have been sent for this, then hit it harder” the Speaker said.

The Opposition raised slogans during Question Hour and clapped in chorus.

The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha continued peacefully, in contrast to the lower house of the Parliament where the Opposition caused disruption during the ongoing Question Hour.