Parliament LIVE: PM Modi Condemns Jharkhand Lynching But Says Wrong to Blame Entire State for Incident

I am sure there is no one in this house who will not like India to be part of the 5 trillion dollar economy club. Please gives us constructive suggestions, we are open to all suggestions, we don't believe only we have all the intellect: PM Narendra Modi

PM Modi Grieves Over Jharkhand Lynching, But Asks Not to Hold State Responsible |  On the recent incident of lynching in Jharkhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief for the victim and his family. However, he dismayed at the Opposition for "holding the entire state" for Tabrez Ansari's lynching. "We are all sad about the death of the mob lynching victim. But is it right to say that everyone in Jharkhand is responsible? They are citizens of this country. The real criminals should be punished."

PM Modi Jabs at Congress' Old India Calls |  Taking a subtle jibe at Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who demanded "Old India" be returned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Now they are slamming New India. Do they want old India back? Old India where cabinet decisions were torn in press meets, old India where Navy was used for personal trips, old India where numerous scams existed, old India which supported tukde tukde gang?"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "We do not have the majority in the Rajya Sabha. But, the voters now are very very aware, they not only know what is happening in Lok Sabha but also what is happening in Rajya Sabha, and they voted this time keeping these facts in mind."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Those opposing EVMs are not only opposed to EVMs. They have problems with technology, digital transactions, Aadhaar, GST, Bhim App. Why such negativity? This negativity was one of the chief reasons why some parties have not been able to win people's trust."

Drawing a similarity of the Opposition's protest against the EVMs and the NDA's ambitious 'One Nation, One Election', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "This same attitude is visible when it comes to discussing 'One Nation, One Election.' Yes, some may not like this idea or have views on this. But, it is important to present these ideas and have discussions on this."

My friends in the Congress: They have not been able to digest victory. They have not been able to accept defeat. I do not consider this to be a healthy sign in a democracy, PM Narendra Modi said.

Further, PM Narendra Modi attacked the Opposition for turning a blind eye to the meeting called by the Election Commission on the issue of EVMs. "The Election Commission invited parties on the issue of EVMs and only two parties went- CPI and NCP. I appreciate them for going to the EC to learn more about the issue. But, why did the rest of the parties questioning the EVMs not even go, they should answer," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people including politicians to "appreciate" the electoral processes in India. "We should appreciate how our electoral processes have improved over the years. In 1950s polling process took long time to complete. Violence and booth capturing were common in some places. Now, news is about rising voter turnout. This is a healthy signal. There have been so many elections with EVMs and parties that are present in the Rajya Sabha have got opportunities to govern in different states after elections were held through EVMs. Then, why question EVMs today," asked PM Modi.

Then, speaking on the allegation put forth by the Congress on the BJP-led Narendra Modi government, the PM said, "By saying farmers sold themselves just because of Rs 2,000 scheme is an insult to farmers. I am shocked, even the media was abused. They said elections were won because of the media. What do such they mean? That media is on sale? Does same logic apply to Tamil Nadu and Kerala??"

PM Modi's Rebuttal to Opposition's EVM Tampering Allegation | The Prime Minister of India upped the ante of his criticism against the collective Opposition by invoking the BJP's humiliating results in the past decades. "Some people kept talking about the EVM issue in this House. I want to tell them that there was a time when we were two MPs in the Parliament. People mocked us. But, we worked harder and won the trust of people. We did not make excuses and blame the polling booth," he said. 

Citing the constituencies where the Congress party won the elections, PM Modi continued to chastise the Rahul Gandhi's led Grand Old Party. "Did India lose in Wayanad? Did India lose in Rae Bareli? Did India lose in Trivandrum, what about Amethi? What kind of argument is this? If Congress loses then does that mean India lost? There is a limit to arrogance. Congress could not win a single seat in 17 states," he said.

PM Modi's Blistering Attack on Congress | Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a direct attack on the Congress party for referring to the Lok Sabha election results as "loss of democracy". He questioned the Congress if the idea of India and that of the Grand Old Party is the same or not. "Do our friends in the Congress Party feel if they do not win, India does not win? Are India and the Congress Party the same thing? No, they are not. Important to respect our electoral process and democracy. 

PM Modi's Critique of the Opposition | At the Rajya Sabha today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi berated the Opposition for questioning the voters. He said, "I was saddened when some leaders said- the BJP and allies won the elections but the nation lost, democracy lost. I want to clearly say that such statements are unfortunate. Why question the wisdom of voters." 

'People Want Stable Govt': PM Modi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "It is after long that a Government with full majority won once again with a full majority. In this mandate we see wish of the people for stability. Infact, this trend of stable governments is being seen in many states as well."

PM Modi's Reply to Motion Of Thanks on President's Address | Dubbing the outcome of the 17th Lok Sabha elections a 'healthy democracy', PM Narendra Modi said, "This election was special and historic. It was only for a second time that a party got a clear majority, which is a sign of a healthy democracy."

While acknowledging the outstanding support of the voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  also prayed for the good health and quick recovery of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and paid tributes to Late  Madanlal Saini.

PM Modi Thanks Voters | PM Narendra Modi greeted the Members of the Upper House of the Parliament and thanked the electorates for giving his government a second term to serve the country.

PM Modi Begins Address | Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his address in the Rajya Sabha in reply to President Ram Nath Kovind's Motion of Thanks.

PM Modi Quotes Rajiv Gandhi to Corner Congress | Prime Minister Modi slammed the Congress leadership quoting purportedly from a recent interview given by Arif Mohammad Khan in which he had talked about the party leadership during late PM Rajiv Gandhi’s time saying "were of the opinion that it was not the job of the Congress party to reform Muslims, (they said) “if they want to lie in the gutter, let them be”." Modi, who offered to share Youtube links of the interview, called the Congress' alleged attitude shameful.

PM Modi's Speech Recap | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the Lower House on the Motion of Thanks. In his address, PM Modi flayed the Indira Gandhi government and said the Emergency crushed India's soul. He further pitched for unity and raised slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Anusandhan'.

Parliament Debates Bengal Violence | Meanwhile at the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee spoke about the violence in West Bengal. "Rabindranath Tagore's Bengal is burning," she said. A ruckus followed after the actor-turned-politician's short speech, which left Dilip Sakia, the next speaker, waiting for his turn.

PMO Tweets Modi's Rajya Sabha Schedule | The Prime Minister's office tweeted that PM Narendra Modi will reply to the "Motion Of Thanks On the President's Address' in the Rajya Sabha today at 2pm.

At around 2 PM today, Shri @narendramodi will reply to the 'Motion Of Thanks On the President's Address' in the Rajya Sabha.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) 26 June 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will shortly address the Rajya Sabha in reply to President Ram Nath Kovind’s address, a day after he hit out at the Congress during his speech in the Lok Sabha.

"Each MP represents around 14-15 lakh people. I hope that during the zero hour more and more new MPs talk about the issues affecting their constituencies," says Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.     

Tejasvi Surya's Maiden Speech in the Lok Sabha | In his maiden speech in the parliament, Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya said, "The most important and irreversible change that India has witnessed under Modi ji is the proud revival of our cultural and civilisational identity. Young Indians today are not apologetic about wearing their Hindu identity up their sleeve." 

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla dismisses the adjournment motion over mob lynching in Jharkhand, says it will disrupt the planned agenda of the house. 

The Zero hour of the Lok Sabha will now commence to take up "matters of urgent public importance". 

DMK leader TR Baalu has filed an adjournment motion in the parliament over the water crisis in Tamil Nadu.   

MP from Kozhikode, M.K Raghavan asks how the government proposes to address the withdrawal of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) by the US. 

Union Railway and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says, "At no point in time will trade negotiations be allowed to take over national and sovereign interests...diplomatic and trade relations with the USA will only get better."