New Delhi: A comment made by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on President Droupadi Murmu sparked a controversy on the first day of the budget session of Parliament. Sonia Gandhi referred to the President as a “poor thing who was tired at the end,” which triggered criticism from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP accused Congress of disrespecting the President, while Rashtrapati Bhavan also expressed its disapproval of the comment, calling it “unfortunate.”
In response to the criticism, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge defended Sonia Gandhi, saying that her remarks were being distorted. He also attacked the BJP, accusing them of insulting the President.
महामहिम राष्ट्रपति जी का अपमान तो मोदी सरकार ने उसी दिन कर दिया था जब नई संसद के उद्घाटन समारोह में उन्हें नहीं बुलाया था।
भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस व हमारे नेता कभी भी महामहिम राष्ट्रपति या किसी भी नागरिक का अपमान नहीं कर सकते हैं। ये हमारी संस्कृति नहीं है।
लोकतंत्र के…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 31, 2025
What Kharge said
In a post on X, Kharge said, “The Modi government had insulted His Excellency the President on the very day when he was not invited to the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament.” He added that the Congress and its leaders had always respected the office of the President and would never insult the President or any citizen.
“The Indian National Congress and our leaders can never insult His Excellency the President or any citizen. This is not our culture,” he said.
Kharge further claimed that the BJP had deliberately kept both the current and previous Presidents away from important events like the inauguration of the new Parliament and the Ram Temple. He also referred to the Economic Survey, saying it had shown the “mirror of truth” about the state of the economy, and accused the BJP of twisting Sonia Gandhi’s words to distract from the economic issues.
“Today #EconomicSurvey has shown the ‘mirror of truth’ to Modi Government, in order to hide the bad state of economy, BJP leaders and a section of media are twisting the phrase of Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji.” He concluded by reaffirming that Congress always respected the dignity of the President’s office. “The Congress Party has always respected the dignity of the office of His Excellency the President.”
Priyanka Gandhi defends her mother
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also came to her mother’s defence, clarifying that Sonia Gandhi did not intend to insult the President. Priyanka said that her mother’s comment was misunderstood and was not meant as an insult.
