New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a special address in Parliament this evening — his last ahead of the general elections — said the 17th Lok Sabha “achieved what generations waited for”.
Addressing the 17 Lok Sabha on the last day of its last session, he said, ‘These five years were about reform, performance, and transformation in the country.’ Many reforms that were game-changers took place during this year.
The country is’moving towards change,’ PM Modi said, citing multiple issues including the scrapping of Article 370 and the penalization of triple talaq, as well as hosting the prestigious G20 meeting.
The long list, which also included Data protection bill, stringent laws to fight terror, removal of obsolete laws and women’s reservation bill as the achievements of the government — started with the new parliament building and the opening of the parliament library to the public.
Everyone said we need a new building. Everyone wanted it, but there was never a decision made on it. We decided on it, and owing to that, we are sitting in the new Parliament today.
He also spoke about the focus on marginalized people, including transgenders, 17,000 of whom received identity cards. We awarded Padma awards to transgender individuals, he added.
Referring to the Covid pandemic, PM Modi said that during the last five years have seen the “biggest crisis of the century” and Speaker Om Birla made arrangements so that parliamentary work is not hampered while ensuring the dignity of the House.
The high point, though, was the scrapping of Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status.
Many generations dreamed of a single constitution, but this house scrapped Article 370. Today, we must be blessed by those who played a role in creating the constitution. Social justice was not accessible to the people of Kashmir. Today, we took it to them,’ he said.
