INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (31) addressed the media ahead of the budget session of the parliament saying it would be an interim budget and that a full one will be presented after the new government is formed. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget on Thursday (1).
This will be the final session of the current Lok Sabha or the lower chamber of the parliament since national elections will be due in a few months to elect the next or the 18th Lok Sabha.
Ahead of the session in the new parliament building, Modi began and concluded his address with the salutation 'Ram Ram' instead of his more customary 'Mitron' (friends).
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"Ram Ram to all of you for the year 2024. At the end of the first session held in the new Parliament building, this Parliament took a very dignified decision of clearing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam," Modi said, recalling passing of the bill allocating 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures across the nation for women, in a special session in September last year.
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Stressing that the countrymen witnessed 'Nari Shakti' (women empowerment) in this year's Republic Day celebrations on January 26, Modi said the commencement of the budget session with an address by president Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday and the presentation of the interim budget by Sitharaman also constitute moments of celebrating women power.
He attended the joint session of the members of both the chambers of the parliament addressed by Murmu.
The prime minister also took a dig at opposition members of parliament who have been accused of creating a din in the legislature.
"Those who want to disrupt by habit and those who disrupt democracy, today these parliamentarians will look into their own conduct and ask themselves what they did in ten years. Even their own constituents won't know what they did," Modi said.
"Those who showed concern for people's issues, they have done democracy a good turn, but those who only did disruption no one will remember them. This session is one for them to repent and leave good footprints. Please do not let the opportunity go abegging and give the country something good," he added.
More than 100 opposition MPs were suspended from the Indian parliament during the winter session in December after they demanded a debate on a security breach in the parliament on December 13 and sought statements from Modi and Indian home minister Amit Shah.
Speaking about the interim budget, Modi said, "Just before election we don't submit a full budget, this we will do after a new government is elected. This interim budget is a guideline for us. I am hopeful that the country will touch new heights of prosperity. Development for everyone is taking place. this journey will continue with your blessings. Ram Ram."
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images