NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu is addressing the joint sitting of Parliament shortly, which will be her first presidential address after the formation of the third National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Following the President’s address, a motion of thanks will be moved in both Houses of Parliament, which will be discussed by the members. The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha began on Monday and the Rajya Sabha session will start from today. Congress chief and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge said that they are expecting at least a good speech this year adding that it should not be a government speech, instead it should be a President’s address. “Let’s see what new programs they are going to give and how many programs they implemented last and the year before that. We are expecting at least a good speech this year. It should not be a government speech, it should be the President’s address,” he said. SP chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav said that the President’s address is a tradition and it happens every time. “This is the tradition and it happens every time. We listen to the President. That is actually the speech of the Government,” he said. Earlier on Wednesday, Om Birla was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time in a row after the motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was adopted by the House through a voice vote on Wednesday. Speaking on occasion, Birla urged that there should be a new vision and resolve for the 18th Lok Sabha. He called for the 18th Lok Sabha to be a centre of creative thinking and new ideas, which would establish high levels of parliamentary traditions and dignity and added that the aim of the House should be to fulfil the resolve of Viksit Bharat. This is the first Lok Sabha session post-general elections in which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bagged 293 seats while the INDIA bloc secured 234 seats. The BJP, however, couldn’t reach a majority on its own, as it was restricted to 240 seats.
