: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.Photo: PTI/Shahbaz Khan : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.Photo: PTI/Shahbaz Khan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a strong attack on former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday7bet gaming or sevenbet, accusing her of belittling the office of the President of India following her remarks on President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament. 

Sonia Gandhi was allegedly heard referring to President Murmu as a “poor thing” during a conversation with her family members after the President’s speech.

The controversy erupted after Sonia, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were observed discussing the President’s speech. In a video clip circulating on social media, Sonia Gandhi can be heard saying, “The poor lady, the President, was getting very tired by the end... she could hardly speak, poor thing.”

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BJP IT department head Amit Malviya quickly responded on social media, condemning the Congress leader’s remark as disrespectful to the highest constitutional office in India. 

“Sonia Gandhi referring to the President as a ‘poor thing’ demeans the high office and reflects her feudal mindset. This is not the first time the Congress has ridiculed the first tribal woman to hold the highest constitutional office in the country,” Malviya said.

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Malviya also criticised the Congress for allegedly showing disdain towards socially marginalised groups such as Dalits, OBCs, and Tribals. He highlighted that despite frequently showcasing a copy of the Constitution, Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have not paid a courtesy visit to President Murmu.

In a subsequent tweet, Union Minister JP Nadda demanded an apology from the Congress and the tribal communities of India, accusing the party of being “elitist, anti-poor, and anti-tribal.” Nadda described the remark as an insult to every Indian, particularly to the tribal communities. “This insult is an insult to every Indian, an insult to every tribal, an insult to every woman. This country will not tolerate this,” he said.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also weighed in, condemning the remarks as “demeaning” to the office of the President, a sentiment echoed by BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, who characterised the remark as reflecting “the low level of gutter politics and character of the Congress.”

Congress defends Sonia Gandhi

The Congress party, however, brushed off the attacks, with Sonia Gandhi’s son, Rahul Gandhi, also weighing in on the speech. Rahul referred to the President’s address as “boring,” a sentiment that was supported by Sonia. The Congress leader also described the speech as filled with “false promises,” with the pair reportedly dismissing the content as repetitive.

Priyanka Gandhi also defended her mother and said “Sonia Gandhi has utmost respect for the President, unfortunately, her remark was twisted by the media.” Referring to the ruling government, she further said that they should first apologise for ruining the country. 

Purnia MP Pappu Yadav also joined the chorus of criticism, calling the President “just a rubber stamp” of the government, while Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee described the address as “funny” and “depressing,” lamenting that it failed to mention critical issues such as the ongoing crisis in Manipur.

Opposition chants “shame” as President’s speech mentions Mahakumbh

While Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar was reading the President's address in English, the opposition started chanting "shame shame" in protest as the speech mentioned the Mahakumbh stampede that took place on Wednesday.

In her address, President Murmu said the Mahakumbh is a festival of India's cultural tradition and social consciousness and expressed grief over the loss of lives in the tragic incident.

Reacting to the president's address, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said it was a very predictable speech with no real surprises.

“It is her job to praise her own government, she did that. But what we are concerned about is what was omitted from her speech, the things her government has failed to accomplish, the matters where her government is not doing very well, the situation of the economy, the fact that the aam aadmi and the middle class are hurting today, the fact that unemployment is so high, the youth are not only facing record unemployment but even educated youth do not have jobs,” Tharoor told PTI.

Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the government has made the president deliver a “clear-cut political speech”.

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President Droupadi Murmu, in her hour-long address, outlined several key achievements of the government across various sectors, emphasising the NDA's work in its third term. Murmu stressed that the pace of progress had tripled, citing decisions on Waqf boards and the concept of “One Nation, One Election.” 

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She assured that the government was committed to a “saturation approach7bet gaming or sevenbet,” ensuring no one is left behind in India’s journey toward becoming a “Vikshit Bharat” (developed India).