“It is this Parliament where Pandit Nehru spoke at the stroke of the midnight hour, which continues to inspire everyone” says Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-starting the special session of the Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted the ‘Amrit- Kaal’ session of the Parliament on Monday, with his speech in the Lok Sabha by reminiscing and reflecting upon the 75 eventful years spent at the old Parliament building, highlighting key events that served as the stepping stones of the nation. “It is this Parliament where Pandit Nehru spoke at the stroke of the midnight hour, which continues to inspire everyone”, said PM Modi. The House proceedings will shift to the New Parliament building on September 19, Tuesday, marking the Monday session as the last session to take place in the old Parliament building. "We may be moving to a new building, but this building will always inspire future generations." added the PM.

The Prime Minister said that this transition is an ‘emotional moment’ for him. He went back to the origins of the old Parliament building. “It is true that the decision to construct this building was taken by foreign rulers but we can never forget and can proudly say that the toil, the hard work, and the money that went into the construction was that of our countrymen.” said the PM, lauding the contributions of his countrymen in setting up the Parliament building.

"From Rajendra Prasad to Ram Nath Kovind to Droupadi Murmu, this parliament has received their guidance. This Parliament has also witnessed the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shashtri to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh who gave a direction to this country," said Modi, highlighting the roles played by the various leaders in the 75 years of the Parliament.

The G20 Summit and the success of Chandrayan-3 were key highlights of his speech. The PM said that this is the collective success of the ‘140 crore people’ of this country. India’s Lunar Mission, Chandrayaan-3 made India the first country to land on the southern pole of the moon, basking in the achievement of India’s scientific community, the Prime Minister said, "The world is discussing India's achievements. Chandrayaan-2's success has shown India's capability to the world. This Parliament congratulates the country's scientists." The Delhi Chapter of the G20 Summit which witnessed the confluence of powerful world leaders brought India to the spotlight. "G20 summit's success is not the success of a person or a party, but of 140 crore Indians," he added.

Prime Minister Modi also spoke about the growing representation of women and the contribution of women MPs in the Parliament. Highlighting the exponential growth in the number of women MPs, he said, “Around 600 women MPs have enhanced the dignity of both Houses.”

"Despite difficulties, MPs have come to Parliament and fulfilled their responsibility as elected representatives. They have come in wheelchairs, with doctors waiting outside. Even during Covid, we came and performed our duties." Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while talking about the MPs congregating at the houses of the Parliament that in turn determined the future of the country. He also remembered all those who laid down their lives for the Parliament building when it was attacked by terrorists in 2001. The Prime Minister concluded his address by urging the other leaders to share their memories centering on the prolific legacy of the 75 years of the Parliament.