New Delhi, Feb 6 (UNI) Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Friday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his reply to the discussion on the President’s Address, accusing him of evading substantive issues, repeating “lies” and weakening democratic functioning by not engaging with Parliament.
Speaking to reporters, Kharge said the speech failed to address concerns raised by the Opposition during the debate. “There’s no need to react to the Prime Minister’s speech, but still I’ll respond to the vile things he said, because it’s his habit to repeat lies,” Kharge said. “In his 97-minute speech, he didn’t say anything. We spoke for hours on the President’s Address, but he didn’t respond.”
Kharge accused the Prime Minister of deflecting attention by repeatedly invoking historical timelines instead of addressing present-day issues. “He keeps talking about 100 years, 75 years, 50 years. But when we raise serious issues of national Defence, he has no answers,” he said, referring to the controversy surrounding a book by former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane. Kharge questioned the government’s denial of the book’s publication.
“The Defence Minister defended it repeatedly. Is it true that the book exists or not? When Rahul Gandhi raised the issue, why did the Prime Minister get so upset?” he asked.
The Congress chief also hit out at what he described as personal attacks and insults directed at the Opposition. “You’re calling us names, weighing ‘two kilos of insults’. What are you weighing? Insults?” he said. “You don’t have the strength or facts to respond to the issues raised in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.”
Rejecting allegations that the Congress had insulted the Sikh community, Kharge said the charge was baseless. “We respect Sikhs. It’s a great religion, one that Dr B.R. Ambedkar wanted to adopt,” he said, accusing the Prime Minister of unfairly linking the community to isolated incidents.
He cited the Congress’s record of leadership appointments, noting, “We made Dr Manmohan Singh Prime Minister twice. But you don’t respect Sikhs, Dalits or tribals; your focus is on showing others down.”
Kharge also criticised the government’s approach to public sector undertakings, alleging systematic neglect over the past decade. “HMT, HAL, BEML, when India didn’t have telephones or watches, were these companies made for eating?” he asked sarcastically. “Your ideology is to destroy public sector companies instead of protecting them.”
Escalating his attack, Kharge accused the Prime Minister of lacking a clear vision. “Our Prime Minister has no ideology, no vision for the country,” he said, clarifying that the Congress opposed the BJP’s ideology, not individuals. “When he says ‘they’ll dig my grave’, we are talking about burying your ideology, not you personally.”
The Leader of the Opposition also alleged that the Prime Minister avoided Parliament to escape scrutiny. “You’re afraid of Rahul Gandhi’s questions, so you don’t attend Parliament,” Kharge said, adding that disruptions and adjournments reflected a “failure of democracy.” He linked the issue to internal security concerns, questioning intelligence failures in incidents such as the Pulwama attack and rising cases of lynching.
Kharge further accused the Prime Minister of politicising identity and misusing claims of personal background. “You insulted Dr Manmohan Singh in the past, and now you accuse us of insulting Sikhs and Dalits,” he said, asserting that denying him the formal recognition of Leader of Opposition amounted to disrespect of marginalised communities.
Condemning the Prime Minister’s speech and tone, Kharge said, “Don’t shed crocodile tears. I condemn your speech. This kind of rhetoric is not good for Parliament, democracy, or the country.”
