No logic in mentioning Emergency in President's address today: Shashi Tharoor
Jun 27, 2024
New Delhi [India], June 27 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticised President Droupadi Murmu's Thursday's customary address to the joint session of both houses of Parliament, saying that instead of mentioning Emergency, current issues affecting the country should have been included in the address.
"There was no logic in talking about Emergency in the address after 49 years. She should have spoken about today's issues," Tharoor told ANI.
"We did not hear anything about the NEET exam or unemployment. The word Manipur did not come from President Murmu or PM Modi. Issues like the India-China border should have been taken up in the address," he added.
Earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu addressed the joint session of the Parliament and criticised the imposition of 'emergency' in 1975 under the Congress government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
"Emergency was the biggest and darkest chapter of the direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country plunged into chaos during the emergency, but the nation was victorious against such unconstitutional powers," said the president while addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament.
Speaking on the row over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) exam 2024, the President said that the government is committed to a fair investigation of the recent incidents of paper leaks as well as stringent punishment for the guilty.
"It is a continuous effort of the government to ensure that the youth of the country gets adequate opportunity to display their talent. My government is committed to a fair investigation of the recent incidents of paper leaks as well as stringent punishment for the guilty. Even before this, we have seen paper leaks in different states. Rising above partisan politics, a nationwide concrete solution is needed for this. Parliament has formed a strict law against irregularities in examinations", she said.
The president's address has triggered reactions from the leaders of the INDIA bloc.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to gain cheap applause by making the President deliver a speech filled with lies.
"Modi Ji is trying to gain cheap applause by making the Honorable President speak lies, which the people of India have already rejected in the 2024 elections," Kharge wrote on his official account on 'X'.
He further criticized the President's address asserting that it was scripted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which appeared as an attempt by him to reject the public mandate.
"Listening to the President's address written by the Modi government felt like Modi Ji is trying every possible way to deny the public mandate. The mandate was against him because the people of the country rejected his slogan of "crossing 400" and kept the BJP away from the figure of 272," Kharge said in a post on X.
