 "Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi")
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi invoked Goddess Lakshmi in his address to the media on the first day of the Budget Session on Friday, saying that he prayed and asked her to bless the poor and the middle-class.
"At the beginning of the Budget Session today, I bow before the Goddess of prosperity - Maa Lakshmi . I pray Maa Laxmi to bless the poor and middle-class people of the country," Modi said.
The PM said that on the occasion of the start of the Budget Session, it is customary to remember Goddess Lakshmi, who bestows wisdom, prosperity, and welfare.
In her address to the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament, President Droupadi Murmu spoke of the government’s policies, according the highest priority to the poor, middle-class, youth, women and farmers.
The PM and President’s remarks have come amid expectations that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman could announce a slew of initiatives not just for the “four pillars”, that is the poor, women, farmers and youth, but also for the middle-class in the Union Budget 2025-26, which will be presented in the Lok Sabha on Saturday.
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Delhi has 15.5 million electors, a significant number of which comprise its strong middle-class, will vote in the Assembly polls on February 5.
In the Bharatiya Janata Party public meetings that he has addressed in the runup to the polls, including Friday’s in Delhi’s Dwarka locality, the PM has sought to reach out to the city’s middle-class with the promise of more capital expenditure.
In his remarks before the start of the Budget Session, the PM said this is perhaps the first parliamentary session since 2014 where there has been no attempt to create disturbances from foreign sources just before the session.
He asserted that for the past 10 years, there have always been attempts to create trouble before each session, with no shortage of people willing to fan the flames. He said that this is the first session in the last decade where no such disturbances have occurred from any foreign corner.
The PM stressed the importance of ensuring equal rights for women, free from religious and sectarian differences, and said that significant decisions towards the goal will be taken during the Budget Session. Among the Bills listed for passage is the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
After President Murmu had delivered her address to the joint sitting of Parliament, the PM described it as a "resonant outline" of the nation's path towards building a 'Viksit Bharat'.
The PM said on X: "Her address encapsulated the vision for an India where youth have the best opportunities to flourish. The address also included inspiring roadmaps for achieving the goals we have set with a spirit of unity and determination."
"The address covered economic reforms, infrastructural development, advances in healthcare, education, renewable energy, rural growth, entrepreneurship, space and more," he added.
