New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation, alleging that it included political remarks and raised concerns over the handling of the issue of women’s reservation.

In a post on social media platform X, Kharge alleged that the Prime Minister used the address to target the Opposition, particularly the Congress, instead of focusing on substantive governance issues.

He also claimed that PM Modi referred to the Congress repeatedly in his speech while making limited mention of women, questioning the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment.

“The Model Code of Conduct is already in place and it was very clear how PM Modi misused official machinery to attack his opponents. This is a travesty of Democracy and the Constitution of India. Modi ji mentioned Congress 59 times and women barely few times. 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,” Kharge wrote on X.

Kharge said the Congress has consistently supported women’s reservation, recalling that the party had passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 to prevent it from lapsing. He added that the Congress also supported the legislation brought by the BJP in 2023.

The Congress leader further stated that the 2023 law on women’s reservation had already been notified recently and argued that the government should implement 33 per cent reservation in the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats without delay.

He accused the government of conflating separate legislative issues, alleging that the recent constitutional amendment proposals being discussed were related to delimitation and not directly linked to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’.

Kharge also demanded that the Prime Minister apologise to the people, alleging that the address contained misleading claims.

Highlighting the Congress’ record, he cited measures such as the Green Revolution, economic liberalisation, Aadhaar rollout, and legislations like the Right to Information Act, Right to Education Act, Food Security Act, and MGNREGA.

He also pointed to laws related to women’s rights, including those addressing workplace harassment, domestic violence, and criminal law reforms.

The Congress president further criticised the BJP over its record on women’s safety, referring to incidents such as Hathras and Unnao, and citing data on crimes against women.

He alleged that the Prime Minister chose to focus on political attacks despite ongoing economic challenges and global uncertainties, and accused the ruling party and its ideological affiliates of pursuing divisive politics.

“After 12 and a half years in power, in the middle of an international crisis, high inflation, a deteriorating economy, sliding Rupee, and deep public distress, the Prime Minister had nothing to offer the nation except a political speech.

“Even with the Model Code of Conduct in place, he chose to blame the Opposition, especially Congress, for his own failures, his own betrayal, and his own apathy. Lastly, BJP-RSS divides the nation. RSS supported the British against Indians and wrote mercy petitions to them. Every Indian knows that Modi Jis political masters — RSS are against WOMEN. They believe in Manusmiti, which encourages DIVISION, and NOT the Constitution of India,” Kharge’s post on X read.

–IANS

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