Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Thursday criticized the disparity in screen time given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint session of Parliament. According to Ramesh, Modi was shown 73 times compared to only 6 times for Gandhi during the 51-minute speech.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi: 73 times
- Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi: 6 times
- Government representatives: 108 times
- Opposition members: 18 times
This address was President Murmu’s first to both Houses of Parliament following the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha. During her speech, she condemned the 1975 Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling it the “biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack” on the Constitution. Murmu emphasized that the government views the Constitution not just as a governance tool but as a crucial part of public consciousness.
Responding to the President’s remarks, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on X, “Listening to the President’s address written by the Modi Govt, 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.” Kharge added that Modi is pretending nothing has changed despite the public’s call for change.
Congress leader Tariq Anwar echoed these sentiments, stating, “They just made a few changes to old speeches. There was nothing new in the President’s address to Parliament today. Several elections have been held since Emergency in which the BJP was defeated. They have nothing new to say.”
