Mallikarjun Kharge criticises President’s address as ‘scripted lies’ by Centre

New Delhi, June 27: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday criticized President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint session of both Houses of Parliament, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to gain cheap applause by making the President deliver a speech filled with lies.

“Modi Ji is trying to gain cheap applause by making the Honorable President speak lies, which the people of India have already rejected in the 2024 elections,” Kharge wrote on his official Twitter account.

He further criticized the President’s address asserting that it was scripted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which appeared as an attempt by him to reject the public mandate.

“Listening to the President’s address written by the Modi government felt like Modi Ji is trying every possible way to deny the public mandate. The mandate was against him because the people of the country rejected his slogan of “crossing 400” and kept the BJP away from the figure of 272,” Kharge said in a post on X.

Kharge accused PM Modi of acting unaware of the call for change from the populace in the recently held Lok Sabha election 2024.

“Modi Ji is not ready to accept this. He is acting as if nothing has changed, while the reality is that the people of the country demanded change,” Kharge said.

He also highlighted several issues including the NEET paper leak scandal, food inflation, the violence in Manipur, train accidents, and rising atrocities against Dalits, tribals, and minorities in BJP-ruled states.

“I will give a detailed response in my speech in the Rajya Sabha, but at first glance, I want to say a few things,’ Kharge said.

Kharge mentioned the recent controversial NEET paper leak case, emphasizing the widespread impact on the youth.

“The cover-up in the NEET scam will not work: In the last 5 years, out of the 66 recruitment exams conducted by NTA, paper leaks and fraud have occurred in at least 12, affecting more than 7.5 million youths. The Modi government cannot shirk its accountability by merely saying ‘one should rise above party politics.’ The youth are demanding justice. The Education Minister of the Modi government will have to take responsibility for this,” the Congress president said.

“Every second youth in the country is unemployed, and there is no concrete policy in the speech to tackle unemployment. Just talking about it does not solve the problem; decisive steps need to be taken,” Kharge said oN neet Exam,” Kharge added.

Talking about the president’s speech he said that it does not mention the 5 main issues facing the country even once. Addressing food inflation, Kharge said that prices of everyday food items have surged, with food inflation of over 8.5 per cent for the past four months. He criticized the absence of the word “inflation” in the President’s address.

“First, back-breaking inflation: The prices of everyday food items have increased manifold. Food inflation has been over 8.5% for the past 4 months. The prices of flour, pulses, tomatoes, onions, milk - everything is sky-high. Household savings in the country are at their lowest level in 50 years. But the word “inflation” is missing from the entire address,” Kharge said.

On the subject of Manipur violence, Kharge pointed out the ongoing conflict, resulting in 221 deaths and 50,000 people becoming homeless over the past 13 months. He questioned the BJP Chief Minister’s continued tenure despite the turmoil.

“Second, violence in Manipur: In the continuous violence in Manipur for the past 13 months, 221 people have lost their lives, and still, 50,000 people are homeless. The violence has now spread to peaceful districts like Jiribam, while extortion and kidnapping have increased in Imphal valley and other areas. But the BJP Chief Minister is still in power. No concrete steps have been taken for peace,” Kharge in his official Twitter account said.

Regarding train accidents, Kharge highlighted the Modi government’s failure to mention recent train tragedies in the President’s speech and criticized the limited implementation of the “Kavach” safety system, with only 2 percent of tracks equipped.

“Third, the horrific train accidents and the plight of passengers in trains: The Modi government did not mention the train accident that occurred in West Bengal in the written speech of the President. Even after the Balasore train tragedy, the government did not learn any lessons. The much-publicized “Kavach” safety system is currently installed on only 2% of the tracks, while according to NCRB, more than 100,000 deaths related to train accidents occurred between 2017 and 2021,” the tweet added.

Kharge also condemned the Modi government’s handling of national security, citing 2,262 terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir over the last decade, resulting in the deaths of 363 civilians and 596 soldiers.

Earlier today, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to gain cheap applause by making the President deliver a speech filled with lies.

“Modi Ji is trying to gain cheap applause by making the Honorable President speak lies, which the people of India have already rejected in the 2024 elections,” Kharge wrote on his official ‘X’ account.

The President’s address will be followed by a ‘motion of thanks’.

As per convention, following the President’s address, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adopt a ‘motion of thanks’ to thank the President for their address.