Murmu backs Waqf law amendment, one nation, one poll Bill in Parl address
President Droupadi Murmu on Friday backed key draft legislations on simultaneous polls and Waqf Bill changes besides patting the government for “tripling” the pace of work in its third term.
In a wide-ranging address to the joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session, Murmu lauded the decade-long rule of the BJP-led NDA for as one that addressed policy paralysis, ensured cultural revival, powered women led development and raised India’s global profile.
“The pace of work has tripled in the third term of this government. Today, the nation is witnessing major decisions and policies being implemented at an extraordinary speed, with the highest priority given to the poor, the middle class, youth, women and farmers,” she said, speaking for over an hour in the presence of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
The President also credited the government for lifting the economy out of a state of policy paralysis. “Despite global concerns like COVID-19, its aftermath and war-related uncertainties, the Indian economy has demonstrated remarkable stability and resilience, proving its strength,” she said.
A special reference in Murmu’s address was to controversial bills that the Opposition has been actively resisting.
“The government has made swift progress on critical issues such as One Nation, One Election (ONOE) and the Waqf Act (1995) Amendment,” she said a day after the joint parliamentary panel on Waqf Amendment Bill-2024 submitted its final report amid the Opposition’s dissent. The ONOE Bill is also with a parliamentary panel for review.
Overall thrust of the President’s address was on flagging the BJP’s governance model of “nation first”. “Bharat is a country of 140 crore people. We have diverse states, diverse regions, and diverse languages, yet as one nation, we have only one identity — Bharat. And we have only one resolution, one goal – ‘Viksit Bharat’!” she said in times of growing chasm between the ruling and Opposition sides.
In other important remarks, Murmu said the government had established peace through over 10 agreements in the northeast. The President also appreciated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for peaceful Assembly elections, attributing the conducive atmosphere to abrogation of Article 370. Flagship infrastructure projects of J&K and Ladakh — Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link; Chenab Bridge, Shinkun La tunnel, which will be the world’s highest, ensuring year-round connectivity between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh — were part of her hour-long address alongside statistics on the gradual decline of left-wing extremism with affected districts down from 126 to 38.
Ahead of the Union Budget on Saturday, Murmu spoke at length about the middle class and farmers. “The economic progress of a nation like India is defined by the aspirations of the middle class and the fulfilment of those aspirations....It is my government that has, for the first time, openly acknowledged and appreciated the contributions of the middle class on every occasion,” said the President, flagging the decision to constitute the Eighth Pay Commission for government employees, 50 per cent assured pension to those under the Unified Pension Scheme, home loan subsidies as measures to benefit the middle class.
Noting progress on Gaganyaan, Murmu said, “Our goal is to establish India as a global innovation powerhouse.”
