‘Boring, predictable’: President Droupadi Murmu’s address

Reacting to President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session, the principal opposition party, the Congress, called it "uninspiring", being devoid of real issues affecting the common citizen.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi dismissed the speech outright, saying it was "boring" and repetitive.

"Boring?... repeating the same thing again and again," he remarked.

Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Modi government of evading critical discussions.

"The Modi government does not discuss issues that affect the people of the country," she said, reinforcing the Opposition’s longstanding criticism that the Modi government avoids parliamentary debate on pressing concerns.

Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the speech "very predictable."

"It was a very predictable speech, unfortunately. No real surprises in what the President said...The fact that the aam aadmi, the middle class, are hurting today, the fact that unemployment is so high, even educated youth don't have jobs... There was no acknowledgement in the President's speech about what the ordinary citizen of India is experiencing every day," Tharoor remarked.

"Right now the President's address is only about what the government has done. When we speak on the President's address, we will bring out the reality," said senior Congress leader Kumari Selja.

The Congress and the LoP were far from alone in their criticism. Other Opposition parties appear to be in agreement on this.

RJD MP Manoj Jha also expressed his disappointment, calling for a departure from tradition where the President merely reads a government-drafted speech.

“We should start a new tradition. The President should be able to speak about the pain she is experiencing and not just the rhetorical things the government writes.

“The President knows about the unemployment crisis, the deteriorating social harmony, and the ongoing violence in Manipur. But instead, we only heard a rosy picture. It is painful," Jha lamented.

Earlier in the day, President Murmu’s address laid out the government’s vision, emphasising various welfare schemes, the ‘economic growth’ of the nation and India’s rising global stature.

The President also spoke of major legislative ‘reforms’, including the introduction of the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) framework and the Waqf Bill.

Also expressing grief over the recent Maha Kumbh stampede, she extended condolences to the victims and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured once again.

Despite the government’s claims of progress, though, the Opposition remains unconvinced, arguing that the address lacked any real acknowledgment of the economic distress, social unrest and governance failures on the ground.

With battle lines drawn, the Budget Session is expected to witness fierce political confrontations in the days ahead.