
Opposition leaders on Thursday dismissed President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint session of Parliament, labeling it as a ‘script given by the government’ and ‘full of lies.’ The leaders, including Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, thrust sharp criticisms, particularly questioning the government’s narrative about India’s economic prowess and employment statistics.
Akhilesh Yadav pointedly questioned the practicality of the government’s claims, stating, ‘If we are the fifth-largest economy, then why are so many youths unemployed? Why can’t price rise be controlled?’ He also highlighted the supposed disparity in growth benefiting only select individuals rather than the broader populace such as farmers and the poor.
Echoing similar sentiments, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra exclaimed that the President’s speech was tailored to a ‘majority’ the BJP no longer holds. CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation MP Sudama Prasad accused the government of overseeing an ‘undeclared emergency,’ contrasting it with the historically imposed Emergency of 1975. The criticisms were underscored by Tariq Anwar, who dismissed the President’s address as a recycled version of previous speeches.