Big Economy, Agriculture, EVM, Kashmir, State of Emergency: The President addressed the joint session of the Parliament

President Droupadi Murmu today addressed the joint session of both houses of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha.

President Murmu spoke about a wide range of topics, including recent paper leak cases, higher voter turnout in Kashmir valley during recently held Lok Sabha polls, concerns over EVMs, India's agriculture and forthcoming budget.

The president said that the newly formed NDA government's first budget will be futuristic and will facilitate fast-tracked reforms.

The president said, “In the upcoming sessions, this government is going to present the first budget of this term. This budget will be an effective document of the government's far-reaching policies and futuristic vision. Along with big economic and social decisions, many historic steps will also be seen in this budget.”

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday invoked the Emergency of 1975, calling it “the biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack on the Constitution”.

President Murmu’s reference to the Indira Gandhi-imposed Emergency in her first address to the joint sitting of the two Houses after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha reflected the deep faultline between the Narendra Modi-led NDA government and the principal Opposition Congress, which is likely to make the proceedings of Parliament stormy in the coming days.

The President also made a pointed reference to a major cause of concern for millions of people – alleged paper leaks and irregularities leading to cancellation of UGC-NET, postponement of CSIR UGC-NET and NEET PG, and some retests of NEET (UG) 2024. She said there would be a fair probe into such NEET and NET cases and that the guilty would be punished.

“In a few months, India is going to complete 75 years as a Republic. The Constitution of India has stood up to every challenge and every test in the past decades. Even when the Constitution was in the making, there were forces in the world who wished India to fail. Even after the Constitution came into force, it was attacked many times. Today is 27th June. The imposition of Emergency on 25th June, 1975, was the biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country felt outraged. But the country emerged victorious over such unconstitutional forces as the traditions of the Republic lie at the core of India,” President Murmu said.

“My government also does not consider the Constitution of India as just a medium of governance; rather we are making efforts to ensure that our Constitution becomes a part of public consciousness. With this very objective in mind, my government has started celebrating 26th November as Constitution Day,” she added.