Opposition criticises PM Modi's Parliament address, points to BJP's past promises

New Delhi [India], December 15 : Opposition leaders critically responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, describing it as a 'mixed' kind of speech and further questioned the government's record on past promises.
TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said there was "nothing to bite" in the Prime Minister's address and defended the Congress party's role in India's freedom struggle. He asserted that the PM had to accept Congress's role as the main strength in the fight against the British Raj.
"There was nothing to bite in this speech...PM had to accept that he could speak about the dynasty, but Congress was the main strength to fight against the British government. Every Indian recognises their role in the freedom struggle. So, we are sure that the angle PM took today is not up to the mark," the TMC MP said.
"If a person speaks for two hours, many issues will come out. So, there may be a few good issues. There may be a few bad issues also. So, it was a mixed kind of speech," he added.
In a similar vein, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav critiqued the Prime Minister's address, focusing on the government's record of fulfilling past promises.

"If the prime minister's old resolutions had been fulfilled, then new resolutions could also have been discussed," Yadav said, emphasising that the government should address its previous commitments before making new pledges.
"The Prime Minister has been saying many things since 2014. Until the old promises are not fulfilled, it is useless to have expectations for new things," the SP MP added.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised PM Modi's speech, calling it "absolutely boring" and devoid of anything new or constructive.
"PM Narendra Modi did not say anything new or constructive. He absolutely bored me. I thought he would say something significant, but he spoke about 11 hollow promises. If he has zero tolerance towards corruption, he should at least hold a debate on Adani," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav commented that the speech was a reiteration of "11 jumlas."
"It was a very long speech. We got to hear the pledge of 11 jumlas today. Those who criticise dynastic politics have a party full of dynasties. The truth is that the reservation for SC/ST, OBC, and Dalits has been taken away. A day will soon come when a caste census will be conducted, and people will receive their rights and respect according to their population," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Congress on Saturday, accusing it of constantly disrespecting the Constitution and presented eleven pledges for India's bright future, noting that the government and people should follow their duties and the country's politics should be free of "parivarvad".
Responding to the two-day discussion in Lok Sabha on 75 years of the Constitution, PM Modi made repeated reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family, accusing every generation of its leaders of disrespecting the Constitution.