Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Saturday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national address, alleging it was turned into a political speech “full of mudslinging and outright lies.”
Kharge stated in a post on He accused Modi of misusing official machinery to target opponents, calling it “a travesty of democracy and the Constitution of India.”
Highlighting the Prime Minister’s priorities, Kharge noted that Modi mentioned Congress 59 times but referred to women only a few times. He asserted, “That tells the country everything about his priorities. Women are not the BJP’s priority. Congress is, because Congress stands on the right side of history. Congress has always supported women’s reservation.”
Kharge reminded that the Congress passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 to prevent it from lapsing, while the BJP failed to pass it in the Lok Sabha. He added that the BJP introduced a different bill in 2023, which Congress supported, and that this bill was notified on 16 April amid Lok Sabha discussions on delimitation Constitutional Amendment Bills.
“The fact that it took the BJP three years to notify their own bill shows their commitment to India’s Naari Shakti,” Kharge said.
He urged Modi to stop misleading the nation and implement 33% reservation for women in the 543 Lok Sabha seats under the 2023 law, warning against denying women their rightful representation. Kharge also criticized the mixing of delimitation bills with the Women’s Reservation Bill, stating, “It was NOT. This was purely a delimitation Bill, brought in to create further division and redraw the electoral map in a manner that can only benefit the BJP.”
Furthermore, Kharge demanded that the Prime Minister apologize to the 140 crore Indians, emphasizing Congress’s pro-reform legacy, including contributions to the Green Revolution, White Revolution, space programme, nuclear capability, and economic liberalization in 1991. He noted that 60 crore Aadhaar cards were distributed before Modi took office and listed legislation passed under Congress such as RTI, RTE, Food Security Act, and MGNREGA, some of which Modi has repealed.
Kharge highlighted Congress’s record on women’s issues, from the Hindu Code Bills to workplace sexual harassment laws, domestic violence bills, and criminal law reforms following the Justice Verma Committee’s recommendations.
Accusing the BJP of being anti-women in both action and attitude, Kharge referenced the Hathras and Unnao cases, the treatment of Haryana’s women wrestlers, and alleged shielding of rapists within the party. He mentioned the release of rapists in the Bilkis Bano case and the BJP’s garlanding of criminals, noting that NCRB data shows crimes against women are highest in BJP-ruled states.
After more than 12 years in power during an international crisis, high inflation, a weakening economy, and public distress, Kharge said Modi offered no solutions, only a political speech blaming the Opposition, especially Congress, for his own failures and apathy.
The Congress leader concluded by accusing the BJP-RSS of dividing the nation, stating, “RSS supported the British against Indians and wrote mercy petitions to them. Every Indian knows that Modi Ji’s political masters, the RSS, are against WOMEN. They believe in Manusmiti, which encourages DIVISION, and NOT the Constitution of India.”
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