A strong and stable government would lead to rapid development at the domestic level and could place the country as “Vishwa-Mitra” (friend of the world) during the period of upheaval in the global scenario, President Droupadi Murmu said on Wednesday in her last address to the joint session of Parliament ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

In her almost 90-minute long speech, President Murmu, who listed the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led governments in the last decade, said that January 22, the day the newly constructed Ram temple in Ayodhya was consecrated, was a defining moment.

“There come junctures in the history of civilizations which shape the future for the coming centuries. There have been many such defining moments in the history of India too. This year, on January 22, the country witnessed a similar epochal moment. After waiting for centuries, Ram Lalla has now been enshrined in his grand temple in Ayodhya,” the President said in her address.

“This was a matter of aspirations and faith for crores of our countrymen and the resolution of this has been accomplished in a harmonious manner...For centuries, there was an aspiration to construct the Ram Mandir. Today it is a reality,” she added.

The references to the Ram Mandir received thundering applause and chants of “Jai Shree Ram” from the members. At one reference, even Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was seen thumping the desk.

According to the President, the construction of Ram Mandir and the removal of Article 370 were significant in the country's efforts to overcome past challenges and invest maximum energy for the future.

“Over the past 10 years, India has witnessed several such tasks being accomplished in the national interest, for which the people of the country have been waiting for decades. For centuries, there was an aspiration to construct the Ram Mandir. Today it is a reality. There were doubts regarding the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Those are now history.”

Wednesday was the first time the President addressed the joint session in the Lok Sabha chamber of the new Parliament building. In the old building, the joint sitting used to take place in the Central Hall.

In her address, which essentially highlighted the central government’s policy priorities and plans for the upcoming year, President Murmu also hinted that the grand edifice of developed India would be erected on four pillars – youth power, women power, farmers and poor.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi projecting the ‘four-caste formula’ – he had said the poor, youth, women, and farmers are the “biggest castes” – against the alleged caste-based politics of the Opposition, BJP sources said these sections would be the focus of the announcements and programmes of the government, including the proposals expected in the budget to be presented on Thursday.

“Their situation and dreams are similar in every part and every section of society in the country. My government is, therefore, working tirelessly to empower these four pillars. My government has spent a significant portion of the tax revenues to empower these pillars,” the President said.

President Murmu also reiterated that only a strong and stable government could ensure the country’s rapid development. “The assessments of the national and international agencies are based on India’s policies. Record investments in infrastructure and policy reforms are further boosting investors’ confidence. The preference of Indians for a stable and strong government with a full majority has also renewed the confidence of the world,” Murmu said, adding that a strong government has been the “advantage” of India during the period of upheaval and turmoil in the world.

“There are many conflicts raging in different parts of the world. My government has established India as a Vishwa-Mitra in these difficult times. It is because of India’s role as Vishwa-Mitra that we have become the voice of the Global South today,” she said.

Following the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya Dham, 13 lakh devotees have done ‘darshan’ in just five days, the President said. She said there were apprehensions over the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir “but they have become history now”. There is an environment of peace and security in Jammu and Kashmir as there is vibrancy in markets instead of the “silence of shutdowns” that were witnessed in the past, President Murmu said.

In her address, she also said the Indian economy used to be among the ‘fragile five’ but was now moving in the right direction and at the right pace due to several reforms undertaken by the government in the last 10 years. “According to the NITI Aayog, in the 10-year rule of my government, nearly 25 crore people have come out of poverty,” she said.

“We have been hearing slogans of eradicating poverty for a long time; now for the first time we are seeing poverty being eradicated on a large scale,” she said. Over the past decade, President Murmu said, the government has made good governance and transparency the cornerstone of every system.

“My government is continuously working on making it easy to do business in India and creating a suitable environment for it,” she said. President Murmu said the government is working with full commitment to empower MSMEs and small entrepreneurs.

Earlier, the country’s rate of inflation was in double digits and is now within 4 per cent, she said. To drive home the point on the country’s growth under the Modi government, President Murmu said the number of start-ups registering has gone from 94,000 a year to 1,60,000, the number of people who pay Goods and Services Tax (GST) has increased from 98 lakh in 2017 to 1.40 crore now and the number of vehicles sold has gone up to 21 crore in the last 10 years from 13 crore earlier.

Highlighting the government's commitment to women-led development, President Murmu said the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (the women’s reservation bill) has strengthened the government’s resolve for women-led development. “My government has continuously upheld its commitment to reform, perform and transform,” she said.

She outlined the fundamental pillars upon which she envisions building a ‘Viksit Bharat’, emphasising the significance of youth power, women power, farmers and the economically disadvantaged.

President Murmu also said that the government’s move to stress on duties rather than rights has “awakened a sense of duty among the citizens.” She said: “Today, a feeling has been generated that performance of one’s duties ensures a guarantee of one’s rights.”

President Murmu expressed confidence that the members of Parliament will have positive discussions in the Budget session, which is scheduled to conclude on February 9. “I am confident that we will have a positive discussion in this new (Parliament) building,” President Droupadi Murmu told the joint sitting.

“Many friends will not be in this House to witness the year 2047. But our legacy should be such that the future generations remember us,” President Murmu said.

The President arrived in a buggy at Parliament House to deliver her address to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and entered the House with the ‘sengol’ (sceptre) being carried in front of her.

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(With inputs from agencies)