Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
This is the inaugural and historic session of the new Parliament building. I extend my heartfelt wishes to all Hon’ble Members of Parliament and to all the citizens of the country.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
I express my profound gratitude to you for giving me the opportunity to speak first in the first session of the new House today. I wholeheartedly welcome all Hon’ble Members of Parliament in this new Parliament building. This occasion is unprecedented in many ways. It is the dawn of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence and Bharat is moving forward with new resolutions and shaping its future in this new building. The monumental success of Chandrayaan-3 in the world of science fills every citizen with pride. The extraordinary hosting of the G20 under Bharat’s presidency is an opportunity that will bring desired influence on the world stage. In this light, today marks the auspicious beginning of modern Bharat and our ancient democracy in the new Parliament building. It is a delightful coincidence that it falls on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi. Lord Ganesha is the deity of auspiciousness and success. Ganesha is also the god of wisdom and knowledge. On this sacred day, our inauguration is a journey from resolution to accomplishment with determination and newfound confidence.
As we move forward with new resolutions in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence, it is natural to remember Lokmanya Tilak, especially on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. During the freedom struggle, Lokmanya Tilak ji established the Ganesh festival as a means to awaken the spirit of self-rule throughout the nation. Lokmanya Tilak ji infused the concept of independent Bharat into the Ganesh festival, and today, on Ganesh Chaturthi, we continue to move forward with his inspiration. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the citizens on this occasion once again.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
Today is also the festival of Samvatsari, which in itself is a remarkable tradition. This day is also considered a day of forgiveness. It is a day to say ‘michhami dukkadam’ when we express forgiveness from the heart to anyone we may have knowingly or unknowingly hurt through our actions, words, and intentions. I, too, offer my sincere ‘michhami dukkadam’ to all of you, to all the members of Parliament, and to all the citizens from my heart. As we embark on a new beginning today, we must leave behind the bitterness of the past and move ahead. With a spirit of unity, our conduct and our speech, our resolutions should serve as an inspiration for the nation and every citizen. We should make every effort to fulfil this responsibility with full dedication.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
This building is new, everything here is new, all the arrangements are new, and all the colleagues are in new attire. Everything is new, but amidst all this, there is also a symbol of a great legacy that connects the past and the present. It's not something new; it's old. It bears witness to the first rays of freedom which are present among us even now. It connects us to our rich history. And as we enter the new Parliament, it bears witness to the first rays of freedom, which will inspire future generations. It is the sacred Sengol which was first received by Pandit Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister. With this Sengol, Pandit Nehru performed the ritual and initiated the celebration of independence. Therefore, this very significant past is connected with this Sengol. It is also a symbol of Tamil Nadu's great tradition, as well as symbolizing the unity of the nation. And today, the Sengol which adorned the hands of Pandit Nehru becomes the source of inspiration for all of us, Hon’ble Members of Parliament. What greater pride can there be than this?
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
The grandeur of the new Parliament building also symbolizes the glory of modern Bharat. Our labourers, engineers and workers have put their sweat into this, and even during the Corona pandemic, they worked tirelessly. When the construction was going on, I often had the opportunity to meet these workers, especially regarding their health. Even during such challenging times, they fulfilled this grand dream. Today, I would like all of us to express our heartfelt gratitude to those labourers, workers, and engineers, because their contribution is going to be an inspiration for the generations to come. More than 30,000 workers have worked tirelessly and sweated to raise this magnificent structure, and this is going to be a tremendous contribution for many generations to come.
Hon’ble Mr Speaker Sir,
While paying my respects to those workers, I would also like to tell you that a new tradition has begun, and I am extremely delighted about it. A digital book has been kept in this House. This digital book contains complete profiles of all those workers so that the future generations will know which worker from which part of Bharat came and how their sweat contributed to this magnificent structure. This is a new beginning, an auspicious start, and a proud moment for all of us. On this occasion, I salute these workers on behalf of the 1.4 billion citizens and on behalf of the great tradition of democracy.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
It is often quoted in our country: ‘यद भावं तद भवति’ which means our intentions shape our actions. So, as our intentions are, so are the outcomes. We have entered the new Parliament with new intentions, and I have full confidence that the same intentions within us will continue to shape us naturally. The building has changed, and I would like to see our expressions change as well. Our feelings should also change.
Parliament is the highest institution of national service. It has been created not for the welfare of political parties but solely for the welfare of the nation, as our Constitution makers envisioned. In the new building, we all must lay emphasis on our words, thoughts and conduct in the spirit of the Constitution. Mr Speaker Sir, you said in both clear and veiled manner both yesterday and today regarding the behaviour of the MPs. I assure you that we will make every effort to live up to your expectations as the leaders of this House. We will follow discipline as the nation is watching us. We look forward to your direction.
But Hon’ble Mr Speaker Sir,
The elections are still far away, and the time we have left in this Parliament will determine who is entitled to sit in the treasury benches and the opposition benches according to our behaviour. The behaviour will decide who will sit in the treasury benches and who will sit in the opposition benches. The country will see this difference in the coming months. And I believe that the behaviour of (the political parties) will be judged by the country.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
In our scriptures, it is said, ‘संमिच, सब्रता, रुतबा बाचंम बदत’ meaning that we all should come together and engage in meaningful and productive dialogue with a shared resolve. Here, our thoughts may differ, our discussions may vary, but our resolutions are always united. Therefore, we should continue to make every effort to maintain this unity.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
Our Parliament has worked with this very spirit on all significant occasions related to the nation's welfare. No one belongs to any particular group; everyone works for the nation. I hope that with this new beginning and in this environment, we will strengthen this sentiment as much as possible and provide inspiration to the generations to come. We should all respect the parliamentary traditions and strive to meet Mr Speaker's expectations.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
In a democracy, politics, policies, and power are important means to bring about effective change in society. Whether it's in space or sports, start-ups or self-help groups, the world is witnessing the strength of Indian women in every field. The G20 presidency and discussion on women-led development is being welcomed and acknowledged worldwide. The world acknowledges that mere talking about women's development is not enough. If we want to achieve new milestones in the journey of human development and reach new destinations in the nation's development journey, then it is necessary that we embrace women-led development. The world has accepted Bharat’s perspective in the G20.
Each of our plans for women's empowerment has taken meaningful steps towards women's leadership. Keeping financial inclusion in mind, we started the Jan Dhan Yojana, and more than the maximum beneficiaries among 50 crore are women account holders. This is a significant change and a new belief in itself. When the Mudra Yojana was launched, the country could take pride in the fact that loans without any bank guarantee of up to 10 lakh rupees were provided, and the majority of the beneficiaries were women. The entire nation witnessed a flourishing environment of women entrepreneurs. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana also saw maximum registration of property papers in women, making them property owners.
Respected Mr Speaker Sir,
In the development journey of every nation, there come moments when it can proudly say that today we have created a new history.
And respected Mr Speaker Sir,
In the inaugural speech of the first session of the new House, I am saying with great confidence and pride that this moment today, this day of Samvatsari, Ganesh Chaturthi, is a time to make history. This moment is a moment of pride for all of us. There have been many discussions and debates on women's reservation for many years. There have been several attempts in Parliament regarding women's reservation. A bill related to it was first introduced in 1996. During Atal ji's tenure, the Women's Reservation Bill was presented multiple times, but we couldn't gather the numbers to pass it, and as a result, that dream remained unfulfilled. Perhaps God has chosen me for the noble task of giving rights to women, harnessing the power of women.
Once again, our government has taken a step in this direction. Just yesterday, the bill regarding women's reservation was approved in the Cabinet. That's why today, September 19th, is about to attain immortality in history. At a time when women are rapidly progressing and taking leadership roles in every sector, it is crucial that our mothers, sisters, our women power contribute the utmost in policy formulation and policy-making. They should not just contribute, but also play significant roles.
Today, on this historic occasion, as the first order of business in the new Parliament building, we have called for a new era of change in the country and opened new doors of entry for the women power of the nation. Let all the MPs open new doors. Commencing with this crucial decision, our government, while advancing its commitment to women-led development, is presenting a major constitutional amendment bill today. The objective of this bill is to expand women's participation in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. Through the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, our democracy will become stronger and more robust.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the mothers, sisters, and daughters of our country for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. I assure all mothers, sisters, and daughters that we are committed to making this bill into law. I earnestly request all my colleagues in the House that as we embark on this auspicious beginning, this sacred initiative, when this bill becomes law, its strength will multiply manifold. Therefore, I express my gratitude to all Hon’ble members of both the Houses for helping the passage of this bill unanimously. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to express my sentiments in the first session of this new House.
