'Arrogance Remains': Kharge responds to PM's emergency remark

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address ahead of the new Parliament session, the Congress on Monday accused him of being arrogant despite “moral and political defeat.’’

- VINAY KUMAR

In a longish post on X, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that PM Modi failed to address crucial issues such as the NEET paper leak, corruption in recruitment examinations, the recent train accident in West Bengal and the ongoing violence in Manipur in his pre-session address.

“Be it the floods in Assam and the Northeast, the backbreaking Price Rise, the historic fall of the Rupee, or be it the Exit Poll-Stock Market scam, Modi ji is mum.

“Modi government has kept the next census pending for a long time, PM Modi was completely silent even on the caste census,” Kharge said.

PM Modi had nothing new to offer in his remarks ahead of the start of the 18th Lok Sabha and “as usual resorted to diversion” and that he has forgotten that the last 10 years of “undeclared emergency” was ended by the people, the Congress chief said.

Kharge said that PM Modi made a longer than usual customary address “but clearly, even after the moral and political defeat, the arrogance remains”. He said the nation was hoping that Modi would say something on important issues.

“Narendra Modi ji, you are giving advice to the Opposition. You are reminding us of the 50-year-old Emergency, but have forgotten the last 10 years of Undeclared Emergency, which was ended by the people,” he said in his post.

“People have given their mandate against Modi ji. Despite this, if he has become the Prime Minister, then he should work,” Kharge added.

Recalling the Prime Minister’s words that “people need substance, not slogans”, Kharge said he should remind himself of this.