Taking a jibe at Congress, the opposition’s defeat and the next elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the motion of thanks again in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after replying to it in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Parliament session was also extended by a day in view of the Center’s plan to come up with a white paper on the state of the country’s economy that would compare the UPA period with the 10 years of the Modi-led government. The purpose of the White Paper was to settle the debate over the “economic problem” once and for all before the general election.

At the same time, the Prime Minister will also chair a meeting to select candidates for the post of Election Commissioner. When Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey steps down from office on February 14, there will be a vacancy in the three-member polling panel.

the latest update

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will respond to President Drupadi Murmu’s speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
• However, the opposition parties are boiling over after the Prime Minister gave his reply to the Lok Sabha motion on Monday. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “distorting” lines from former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech.
• Vadra said this was not only “shameful” but also showed the “bitterness” in the heart of the BJP towards the freedom movement and the historical struggle.
• Prime Minister Modi will also chair a meeting on Wednesday to select candidates for the election commissioner post. This is in view of the vacancy that will arise following the retirement of current Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14.
• The Center plans to submit a white paper on the state of the country’s economy to the House of Representatives, comparing the UPA period with the 10 years of the Modi government. In view of this, the parliamentary session was also extended by one day.
• The white paper is likely to settle the long-standing debate over the “economic issues” once and for all ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
• The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill – the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 – that deals with malpractice and irregularities in competitive examinations.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh has introduced a bill to crack down on unfair practices in competitive examinations with a jail term of up to ten years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore. Singh said these regulations are to safeguard the interests of meritorious students and candidates.
• The Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Water Resources has stated that sewage discharged into the Yamuna river from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh needs to be treated thoroughly to prevent foam formation in the river.
• The committee highlighted the presence of phosphates and surfactants as the main causes of foam, while adding that foam can also cause skin irritation and infection.
• Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Tuesday granted fresh permission to Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who was arrested in connection with the GST policy scam, to attend Parliament to be sworn in as a member of the Lok Sabha.

(With PTI input)