Imphal/New delhi : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he took oath as a Member of Parliament from the Varanasi seat, Uttar Pradesh on June 24 and asserted that the country will achieve progress under his leadership.

Taking to the microblogging site X, the Manipur chief minister appreciated PM Modi’s dedication towards bringing glory to the nation.

He wrote, “Extending best wishes to PM Narendra Modi as he took oath as a Member of Parliament from Varanasi seat, Uttar Pradesh today. With renewed dedication and unwavering commitment towards bringing more glory to the nation, PM Modi will lead the country towards further progress and prosperity.”

The 18th Lok Sabha commenced on June 24 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the oath as a Member of Parliament. The oath-taking ceremony marks the beginning of the new parliamentary session, with other members swearing in following the alphabetical order of states.

Prime Minister Modi’s arrival at the Parliament was marked by an address to the media before the session commenced. The special session is not only significant for the swearing-in of members but also for the legislative challenges and opposition that the government is expected to face right from the onset.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to address critical issues such as the NEET exam irregularities and the ongoing violence in Manipur during his pre-Parliament speech.

Kharge accused the Prime Minister and his government of continuing to govern by repeatedly invoking the Emergency period instead of focusing on present-day issues.

Responding to PM Modi’s remarks made before the commencement of the 18th Lok Sabha session, Kharge said, “He will repeat this 100 times. Without declaring an emergency, you are acting this way. How long do you plan to rule by bringing this up?” He also criticized Modi on social media platform X for not mentioning significant concerns such as the NEET exam irregularities, the violence in Manipur, and the recent train accident in West Bengal.

Kharge pointed out that despite the country’s expectation for Modi to address these pressing issues, the Prime Minister resorted to “customary words” in his speech. He added that the “arrogance” remains despite past defeats.

In a detailed post on X, Kharge wrote, “He will show some sympathy towards youth regarding paper leak in NEET and other entrance exams, but he will not take any responsibility for the rigging and corruption of his government. Modi also remained silent about the recent train accident in West Bengal. Manipur has been in the grip of violence for the last 13 months, but Modi neither went there nor did he express any concern about the recent violence in his speech today.”

Kharge also highlighted other issues in his post, such as the flood situation in Assam and the long-pending national census, calling for the Prime Minister to address these concerns urgently.