NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu’s Address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday has evoked a sharp response from Opposition leaders who dismissed the speech as a “bundle of lies” and slammed the government for ignoring the burning issues of NEET row, Manipur violence, unemployment and inflation and focusing on praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They condemned the government over the repeated mention of the 1975 Emergency, arguing that the nation is currently facing an “undeclared emergency” under the Modi government.
In her Address, the President described the imposition of Emergency in 1975 as the “biggest and darkest chapter” of a direct attack on the Constitution and said the country emerged victorious over unconstitutional forces.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Listening to the President’s Address written by the Modi government, it seemed as if Modi ji is in a perpetual state of denial! The mandate was against him because the people of the country rejected his slogan of “400 plus” and kept the BJP away from the figure of 272. Modi ji is unable to accept this, that is why he is pretending that nothing has changed, but the truth is that the people of the country had asked for change.”
Kharge accused the government of ignoring critical issues, including the NEET controversy, price rise, violence in Manipur, and rising atrocities against Dalits, tribals and minorities in BJP-ruled states. He added, “Overall, Modi ji is making a futile attempt to garner some applause by making the Honourable President read lies, which the people of India have rejected in the 2024 elections.”
Samajwadi Party chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav echoed Kharge’s sentiments. “Why are farmers unhappy and in distress if we are being told stories of becoming the fifth-largest economy? Why are so many young people unemployed?” Yadav asked, highlighting the disconnect between the government’s claims and the reality on the ground.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also objected to the mention of the 1975 Emergency in the President’s speech.
Tharoor said, “There was no logic in talking about the Emergency after 49 years and omitting the contemporary issues like the NEET exam and unemployment.”
Owaisi said, “In the entire President’s Address, there is no mention of the word ‘minority’. Why does the Modi government hate minorities so much?” Owaisi criticised the President’s joint Address, stating that there was nothing “new” in the Address and that it was like “old wine in a new bottle”.
Also, BSP supremo Mayawati criticised the speech for being out of touch with reality. “The central government is not at all serious about the increasing poverty, unemployment, inflation, and the problems faced by the weaker sections of society,” she posted on X.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and Azad Samaj Party MP Chandra Shekhar Azad highlighted the perceived disconnect between the government’s claims and the electorate’s mandate. “Presidential Address has been PM Modi’s address for the past 10 years,” Raut said. Azad questioned the lack of attention to issues such as unemployment and caste atrocities, describing the current situation as an “undeclared emergency”.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra pointed out the discrepancy between the government’s claims of a majority and the actual election results, saying, “The speech that they prepared for the President was based on 303 (seats). This is a minority government, but she (Murmu) said the government has a clear majority.”