BJP MPs Laud President Murmu's Speech, Sonia Stirs Row With Her 'Poor Thing' Remark
President Murmu's address to the Parliament before Budget 2025 drew criticism from opposition parties. Leaders like Sasmit Patra and others criticized the speech for failing to address real issues.
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President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint session of the Parliament ahead of Budget 2025 has been receiving flak from the opposition parties. The BJP MPs hailed the the President's speech and said that her address encapsulated the achievement of the government in the last 10 years.
However, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi sparked a controversy as she said that the President 'could hardly speak', and called her 'poor thing'.
While speaking to the media outside the Parliament, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi said, "The President was getting very tired by the end...She could hardly speak, poor thing."
#WATCH | Delhi | After the President's address to the Parliament, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi says,"...The President was getting very tired by the end...She could hardly speak, poor thing..." pic.twitter.com/o6cwoeYFdE
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2025
The BJP hit-back at the remark of Sonia Gandhi and said that her comment were insulting towards all constitutional posts. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said, as quoted by news agency ANI, "There was a time when Congress was considered as a National Party. Ever since Rahul Gandhi took over, all his advisors have been extreme leftists from JNU. This is why all their policies and statements are insulting towards all constitutional posts. A tribal woman, who has gone on to become India's First Citizen, saying something like this about her speech is expected from the Congress..."
#WATCH | On Congress MP Sonia Gandhi's statement, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar says, "There was a time when Congress was considered as a National Party. Ever since Rahul Gandhi took over, all his advisors have been extreme leftists from JNU. This is why all their policies and… https://t.co/VGnuNY5J63 pic.twitter.com/IQGD9O2XvI
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2025
Leaders from other political parties have also criticised the President's speech. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai questioned the government and asked that whether they are focusing on the ground reality. He said, "The President portrayed an image of a Viksit Bharat @ 2047... She talked about One Nation One Election also. These things look good only on paper. It is every India's dream to see their country as a developed one... Is anyone focussing on the ground reality?..."
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee also took a potshot at the President's speech and said that while the government talked about the development of the Northeast, he asked whether the PM, the president or the Vice President ever gone there?
#WATCH | On the President's speech today, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says, "It is really funny. If you compare the speech from 2024 and today's speech, all are equal. It has been proved that nothing new has been done by Narendra Modi in last one year. They are talking about the… pic.twitter.com/SkBjP4ZngV
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2025
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also criticised the President's speech and said," I think the President of India and I live in two different countries. The President's view of the country she governs over and the country I live in seems to have stark differences. The President seems to celebrate success which I don't deny is there but glossed over the harsh realities of daily life in India."
BJD MP Sasmit Patra termed the President's speech as 'disappointing' and added that the real issues of the country and those about related to Odisha were missing from the address. He said, "It's a very disappointing address by the President. It is just a feeble attempt to go on about the government's achievements. The real issues of the country and those plaguing the states like Odisha relating to our demand for special category status, providing more support to states relating to the federal structure, all of that was missing. This was just a laundry list of what the government has been doing. There was no imagination, it seemed just like a propaganda statement..."
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that the President was made to deliver a political speech, and nothing was new in it. He added, "Everything is only complete lie and jumla."
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