New Delhi: Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday criticized remarks made by Congress leaders about President Droupadi Murmu’s address to Parliament, calling them “unacceptable and disrespectful to the dignity of the high office”.
During a media interaction, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was caught on video commenting that the President looked tired while delivering her speech and added, “poor thing.” The video has since gone viral on social media. This remark of Sonia Gandhi came after President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint session of both Houses of Parliament.
Rashtrapati Bhavan issues statement
In response, the President’s office issued a statement, saying that such remarks might have resulted from a lack of understanding of “the idiom and discourse in Indian languages such as Hindi.” However, it emphasized that these comments were in poor taste, unfortunate, and avoidable.
The statement clarified that President Murmu was not tired at any point during her speech and that she believes speaking for marginalized communities, women, and farmers is never exhausting. It reaffirmed that her address was delivered with full commitment and energy.
JP Nadda condemns Sonia Gandhi’s remark
BJP national president JP Nadda also condemned Sonia Gandhi’s remarks, calling them elitist, anti-poor, and anti-tribal. He demanded an unconditional apology from the Congress to the President and the tribal communities of India.
I and every @BJP4India Karyakarta STRONGLY CONDEMNS the usage of the phrase “poor thing” by Smt. Sonia Gandhi for Honourable President of India, Droupadi Murmu Ji. The deliberate usage of such words shows the elitist, anti-poor and anti-tribal nature of the Congress Party. I…
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 31, 2025
In a post on X, he said, ““I and every BJP Karyakarta strongly condemn the usage of the phrase ‘poor thing’ by Smt. Sonia Gandhi for Honourable President of India, Droupadi Murmu Ji. The deliberate usage of such words shows the elitist, anti-poor, and anti-tribal nature of the Congress Party.”
