Govt working to make India developed by 2047: BJP

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Asserting that the country is moving ahead on the path of speedy development, BJP members in the Rajya Sabha on Friday said the Narendra Modi government does not believe in doling out gifts, but works on making the country developed by 2047.

Moving the Motion of Thanks on the president's address in the Upper House of Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kavita Patidar said the Centre has implemented various schemes to improve the plight of women and under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, more than 10 crore women have got freedom from the smoke that was pushing them towards diseases like asthma.

Patidar pointed out that the Republic Day parade this year was dedicated to women power and that around 10 crore women have joined self-help groups. She also claimed that the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple will strengthen the economy in Ayodhya.

She said in the new Parliament House built during "Amrit Kaal", President Droupadi Murmu, who is a symbol of women power, presented the government's achievements before the public.

Patidar said keeping in mind the spirit of the Ram temple's consecration, Murmu reiterated the Centre's resolve to develop the country, which will be a step towards the establishment of "Ram Rajya".

Reading out the Motion of Thanks, she said the members are deeply grateful to the president for her address to both houses of Parliament.

This is the first address of Murmu, who is a symbol of Nari Shakti, in the new Parliament building, Patidar said.

The BJP member talked about the expanding role of women in various fields, including in the armed forces, vaccine manufacturing during COVID-19 and the Chandrayaan campaign. She said youngsters, women, farmers and the poor are the four sections that are at the centre of the government's priorities.

Patidar said not only the prime minister, but many members of his cabinet and the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh are from the Other Backward Classes category and the schemes of the government are OBC-friendly.

"The grand Ram temple at Ayodhya is a symbol of pride for us and it gives us inspiration for inculcating unity and moral values.

"We are committed towards Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and no one should be left behind in this path of development. We thank the president for giving us this joint address and for guiding us to achieve the goal of Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat," she said.

While Patidar moved the motion, Congress MP Digvijay Singh raised a point of order, saying the amendments on the Motion of Thanks on the president's address be taken up before her speech. However, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected his objection.

Supporting the Motion of Thanks, BJP's Vivek Thakur said earlier, several gifts were given in the interim budget before elections, but the Modi government has resolved to make India developed by 2047.

He said there was a time when India was one of the world's five fragile economies and the condition of its banks was bad but today, it has become the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Thakur said some people tried their best to divide the country but the voters gave them the right answer in elections. He said Modi believes that there are only four castes in the country -- youngsters, women, farmers and the poor -- and by ensuring their progress, the country will automatically develop.

Referring to various schemes related to women's welfare, the BJP leader said one crore women have been made "Lakhpati Didis" and a target has been set in the interim budget to increase their number to three crore. He added that this Parliament has done a historic job of increasing the participation of women in the legislature by enacting the Nari Shakti Vandan Act.

Thakur said with the recent construction of the Atal Bridge, there has been such development in the field of infrastructure that the world is looking towards India.

"We are coming again in July," the BJP member said while exuding confidence about his party's victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

He said the consecration of the Ram temple performed recently by the prime minister has changed the face of Ayodhya, adding that the way Modi has developed the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the Char Dham Corridor and the Kedarnath temple, it has boosted the local economy.

Referring to former prime minister Manmohan Singh's "organised loot and legalised plunder" comment on demonetisation, Thakur said organised loot happens when oil is purchased through oil bonds, loss and borrowing is carried forward to keep fiscal deficit low and when scams like 2G, coal, Commonwealth Games and Agusta Westland happen.

"When we came to power in 2014 and assessed the state of the economy, there were demands for bringing a white paper," he said, adding that it was said that India was gripped in policy paralysis, there was heavy borrowing and inflation was touching new heights.

It was from there that the economy was strengthened by the prime minister, Thakur said.

"The prime minister has saved Indians from both from economic recession and economic depression. I urge the finance minister to bring a white paper on the state of economy in 2014 to highlight how it has transformed," he said.

After this, the chairman said he has received 102 amendment proposals for the president's address. Then various members presented their amendments. PTI SKC RC