Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address to the Lok Sabha on June 24, delivered a pointed message to the opposition, urging them to prioritize the needs of the people and maintain the dignity of democracy. He emphasized the importance of substance over empty slogans, stating that the country demands concrete actions, not mere theatrics.
“The people of the country expect good steps from the opposition,” Modi asserted. “I hope that the opposition will live up to the expectations of the common citizens of the country to maintain the dignity of democracy. People do not want drama, disturbance. People want substance, not slogans. The country needs a good opposition, a responsible opposition, and I have full faith that the MPs who have won in this 18th Lok Sabha will try to fulfill these expectations of the common man.”
Modi’s remarks came on the heels of his third consecutive term as Prime Minister, having taken oath on June 9th alongside his Council of Ministers. He retained his seat in Varanasi, a position he has held since 2014. As Leader of the House, he was the first to be sworn in.
Earlier that day, B Mahtab was sworn in as a member of the new House and the pro-tem speaker at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In his address, Modi also drew attention to the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, which falls on June 25th, describing it as a “black spot” on India’s democracy. He condemned the period as a time when the Constitution was disregarded and the country was subjected to suppression.
“The new generation of India will never forget that the Constitution of India was completely rejected, every part of the Constitution was torn to pieces, the country was turned into a prison, democracy was completely suppressed…” he stated.
“While protecting our Constitution, while protecting the democracy of India, the democratic traditions, the countrymen will take a resolution that no one will dare to do such a thing in India again which was done 50 years ago. We will take a resolution of a vibrant democracy. We will take a resolution to fulfill the dreams of the common people as per the directions of the Constitution of India,” he added.
Looking toward the future, Modi pledged to continue the tradition of consensus-building, emphasizing that while a majority is needed to run the government, a broader consensus is essential for running the country.
“In the last 10 years, we have always tried to implement a tradition because we believe that a majority is required to run the government but to run the country a consensus is of utmost importance. So, it will be our constant efforts to serve Maa Bharti and fulfill the aspirations and ambitions of the 140 crore people, with everyone’s consent and by taking everyone together. We want to go ahead and speed up decisions by taking everyone together, by maintaining the sanctity of the Constitution,” he concluded.
