Clear-cut political speech, no acknowledgment of citizens’ issues: Cong on Prez address

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) The Congress on Friday described President Droupadi Murmu’s address to both Houses of Parliament as a “clear-cut political speech” and claimed that it had no acknowledgment of what the ordinary citizen of the country was experiencing day after day.

In her address, Murmu said the government has worked with a strong determination to lift the economy out of a state of “policy paralysis”, despite global concerns, such as the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and war-related uncertainties.

Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament, signalling the start of the Budget session, Murmu said the BJP-led government’s third term is seeing work being done at thrice the speed of previous administrations, citing decisions on issues such as Waqf boards and “One Nation, One Election”.

Asked about Murmu’s speech, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the government has made the president deliver a “clear-cut political speech”.

Reacting to the president’s address, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said it was a very predictable speech with no real surprises.

“It is her job to praise her own government, she did that. But what we are concerned about is what was omitted from her speech, the things her government has failed to accomplish, the matters where her government is not doing very well, the situation of the economy, the fact that the aam aadmi and the middle class are hurting today, the fact that unemployment is so high, the youth are not only facing record unemployment but even educated youth do not have jobs,” Tharoor told PTI Videos.

“In all these circumstances, we are really facing a challenge. There was no acknowledgment in the president’s speech of what the ordinary citizen of India is experiencing day after day,” he said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari said Murmu’s address “unfortunately is nothing more than a ritualistic reiteration of a laundry list of the government’s alleged achievements”.

“The @rashtrapatibhvn should be spared this annual embarrassment. Otherwise the Hon’ble President of India should be allowed to speak her or his own mind,” he said in a post on X.