New Delhi, January 31: In a sharp response to President Droupadi Murmu's address in Parliament on Wednesday, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, criticised the speech as a mere endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and labelled it as a propaganda tool. Kharge said that the President's speech only served the purpose of lauding PM Modi and his administration, rather than addressing critical issues facing the nation.

"President's speech was only about praising PM Modi and their government. It was a propaganda, advertisement for PM Modi and a political speech," Kharge said. "Maybe the President was directed to speak in such a way that she followed in her 1 hour and 20 minutes long speech," the Congress chief said. Expressing dismay, Kharge highlighted the absence of any mention of employment-related concerns in the President's speech. He emphasized that the speech failed to acknowledge the pressing need for employment generation, a crucial aspect affecting millions of citizens across the country. India May Have Dictatorship, No More Elections if PM Narendra Modi Wins 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, Says Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

The Congress chief further accused the government of neglecting the genuine concerns of the marginalized and instead resorting to political manoeuvres through the Presidential address. "There was nothing related to employment mentioned in the President's speech. This was a document to entrap the poor," he added. Calling it a one-sided narrative that leaves out several important omissions, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the President's address was an election speech.

"They have written an election speech for the President to deliver. They have not talked about the things which they have not done. They claimed that they pull people out of poverty but they also talked about giving 81 crore people food grains. This is a one-sided narrative that leaves out several important omissions, which I believe, people will have to think about then they go to vote in Lok Sabha elections," Tharoor told ANI.

Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali too criticised the President's speech and said that there was nothing special in the speech of President. "There was nothing special in the speech of the President. The government said that they have given employment, but to whom? Yes, some of the friends of the government have got employment. The government has nothing to tell," he said. In opposition calling the President's address an election speech, Union Minister Ajay Misra Teni said that the Opposition parties have no issues left to raise now after the way the Modi government worked for the development of the country. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Don’t Let BJP Win General Polls in Name of Religion, Says Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge

The President in her speech on Wednesday said that the government has kept the inflation under control despite global challenges and did not allow the burden on people to increase. "The world has faced two wars and Covid-19 in the past few years. Despite the global crises, my government kept inflation under control across the country and did not put the burden on the citizens," the President said in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament. The President said 2023 was a historic year for the country when it maintained the momentum to be the fastest-growing major economy.

"The year 2023 was a historic year for India when it grew the fastest among major economies despite the global crisis. India grew about 7.5 per cent for two consecutive quarters," she said.

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