Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed serious concern over invalid votes cast by Members of Parliament in the presidential polls and asked MPs of both the Houses to be present in full strength on August 5 when votes are to be cast for vice-presidential elections where the NDA’s nominee M Venkaiah Naidu is facing Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
While expressing happiness over the result of the presidential polls, the Prime Minister is understood to have pointed out to the MPs that invalid votes were cast despite an electronic presentation given to them before the elections. Modi was addressing the Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday morning ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of President Ram Nath Kovind.
A total of 77 votes were declared invalid during last week’s counting for the presidential elections and the list of rejected ballots was topped by Parliamentarians as 21 votes cast by MPs were among the ballots found invalid.
The Prime Minister asked MPs to avoid this mistake during the vice-presidential elections and asked the members to be present in both the Houses in full strength on August 5.
He termed election of the new President as a “significant milestone” in the journey commenced by the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), precursor of the BJP, Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
“The journey, which was started by Syama Prasad Mookerjee and during which many lakh of people sacrificed everything, has reached a significant milestone today as the new President takes oath,” Modi told party MPs.
In stating so, the Prime Minister underlined a Dalit’s progression to the highest constitutional post under the BJP’s first majority regime at the Centre. Kovind is the second Dalit President, the first being KR Narayanan in 1997 during the Congress rule. Kovind is also the first BJP leader and the first from Uttar Pradesh, to reach the highest post in the country.
According to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, Modi asked the lawmakers to take up three vital causes i.e. welfare of the poor, social harmony and good governance to improve the life of the common man.
He asked them to hold a 15-day-long sankalp yatra from Independence Day so as to ensure an improved quality of life for people in all parts of the country by 2022 when the country would celebrate 75 years of freedom, Kumar said.
The Prime Minister asked them to take a pledge and administer pledges to citizens to do what they can to better society.
Modi said India had attained new heights in 70 years since 1947 when it gained Independence and it was certain to emerge as a strong power in the world by 2022.
They have to work to ensure that the last man in the queue benefits from it, he said.
The first War of Independence started in 1957 and then the launch of the Quit India Movement marked the beginning of the country’s march towards freedom, he said, asking the lawmakers to hold programmes between August 9, the Quit India Movement’s 75th anniversary and August 15.
lawmakers were told to carry out a ‘Tiranga yatra’ during the period.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asked MPs to dispel doubts about the Goods and Services Tax and educate common people by first gaining proper knowledge on the new tax regime.
The party has set up a GST desk in the Parliamentary library where revenue official would guide MPs and clear their doubts on the new tax which has come into implementation across the country.