New Delhi [India]: The opposition parties expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the Rajya Sabha, criticizing him for avoiding key issues like inflation and unemployment during his motion of thanks on the President’s Address.
Opposition’s Reaction
Leaders from the Congress, TMC, CPI-M, and BJD accused the PM of focusing on political attacks rather than addressing the pressing economic concerns faced by common citizens.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari:
Tiwari slammed PM Modi for his repeated criticism of Congress while avoiding core governance issues:
“On the motion of thanks on the President’s speech, the PM gave a very disappointing and frustrating reply. It looks like he has no message left for the country and is himself disappointed with his government’s performance. Instead of addressing real issues, he is just abusing Congress,” said Tiwari.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra:
Patra expressed dissatisfaction that PM Modi failed to address Odisha’s demand for special category state status:
“As a BJD MP, I had hoped that the PM would speak on Odisha’s special category status, but he didn’t.”
TMC MP Sushmita Dev:
Dev questioned the lack of clarity on PM Modi’s vision for ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) and accused him of ignoring inflation and unemployment:
“I am sad that the PM spoke about things unrelated to the real issues. Inflation is rising, youth are struggling due to unemployment, yet the PM did not say a single word about it. What exactly is ‘Viksit Bharat’? What are the parameters to define it?”
CPI-M MP John Brittas:
Brittas criticized PM Modi’s repeated references to the Emergency, calling it a distraction from the government’s failures:
“It is disappointing that the PM keeps talking about the Emergency. It has been almost 10 years since he started speaking about it. He cannot keep blaming Congress’ past failures to justify his government’s shortcomings.”
PM Modi’s Defense: “We Work for Everyone”
Defending his government, PM Modi accused Congress of “appeasement politics” and claimed that BJP-led NDA works for “total saturation” (Shantustikaran), not selective appeasement (Tushtikaran).
“We have ensured that India’s resources are optimally utilized. We follow an approach of saturation, ensuring that schemes reach beneficiaries without pilferage. In the last decade, we have worked with the idea of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, which has delivered results,” PM Modi said.
Political Battle Heats Up Ahead of Elections
With general elections approaching, Modi’s speech and the Opposition’s sharp rebuttals highlight the intensifying political battle between BJP and rival parties.