Government Script, Full Of Lies: Opposition Leaders On President's Address

Opposition leaders on Thursday dismissed the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament as a "script given by the government" that was "full of lies" and also castigated the government over the repeated mention of the 1975 Emergency.

They said there is an "undeclared emergency" in the country and the Constitution is being attacked under the Modi government.

In her address, President Droupadi Murmu described the imposition of Emergency in 1975 as the "biggest and darkest chapter" of a direct attack on the Constitution and said the country emerged victorious over unconstitutional forces.

Speaking to reporters after the President's address, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav punched holes in the government's claim of India being the fifth-largest economy in the world.

"The story that is being told about India becoming the fifth-largest economy... has it made our farmers prosperous? If we are the fifth-largest economy, then why are so many youths unemployed? Why is there a scheme like Agniveer? Why can't price rise be controlled?" he said.

On the government's claims about investment, the Samajwadi Party chief said, "We would have witnessed more growth if there was investment. The growth of some individuals cannot enable national growth. It can improve our numbers but what is there in it for farmers, the poor and those who have been most exploited?"

Asked about the mention of Emergency by Ms Murmu, he said, "What did the BJP do for the people who were in jail during Emergency? The SP gave them respect and pensions."

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said the President read out a "script given by the government" and that the BJP has not realised yet that it does not have a majority on its own.

"The government's problem is that they are not yet able to understand that they have come to 240 from 303. They prepared the speech based on the majority of 303. That is why she said there is a clear majority government when the government is actually in minority," she said.

Maybe they took portions from last year's speech, she said.

Speaking about the recent general elections, Ms Murmu said the whole world is talking about India's Lok Sabha polls.

"The world is witnessing that the people of India have elected a stable government with clear majority for a third consecutive term," she told the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament.

CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation MP Sudama Prasad said the President's address was "full of lies".

"This is an alliance government which they are calling a majority government as if it is a BJP government. They should have talked about Manipur. Why are they making empty speeches on women empowerment? Women were paraded naked there (Manipur), people have been rendered homeless... women wrestlers have not yet received justice. This address was full of lies," he said.

On the President talking about Emergency, Mr Prasad said, "That was a declared emergency and this one has not been declared."

"They mentioned Emergency yesterday as well. This is not right. They are mentioning Emergency but we are facing a mega emergency at present. The Constitution is being attacked, democratic values are being murdered and people are being silenced. By talking about Emergency, they are trying to hide their own mega emergency," he added.

Congress leader Tariq Anwar said there was nothing new in the President's speech.

"They just made a few changes to old speeches. There was nothing new in the President's address to Parliament today," he said.

"Several elections have been held since Emergency in which the BJP was defeated. They have nothing new to say," Mr Anwar said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have also condemned the imposition of Emergency.

Addressing the media in the Parliament complex ahead of the start of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha on June 24, PM Modi had termed the Emergency a black spot in India's parliamentary history when the Constitution was discarded and the country turned into a prison.

Soon after his election as Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday, Mr Birla had set off a firestorm by reading out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency as an attack on the Constitution by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, an act that triggered vociferous protests by Congress member in the House.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)