Congress mentioned 59 times, women barely: Kharge slams PM's address to nation

A sharp political confrontation has broken out after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation following the defeat of the women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary Jairam Ramesh, and leader Manish Tewari launching a coordinated and detailed counterattack.

The Opposition accused the Prime Minister of turning an official national broadcast into a political speech targeting rival parties, following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.

Kharge said the Prime Minister’s speech disproportionately targeted the Opposition while failing to focus on women’s issues at the centre of the debate.

He said, “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.”

KHARGE CALLS ADDRESS ‘POLITICAL SPEECH FULL OF LIES’

Kharge also said the Prime Minister, in his address, abandoned the expected non-partisan tone of a national broadcast and instead launched an attack on Opposition parties.

He said, “A desperate and frustrated PM Narendra Modi with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years turned an official address to the nation into a political speech, full of mudslinging and outright lies.”

Kharge also criticised the timing and intent of the address, alleging misuse of official machinery to target political opponents.

He added that Modi mentioned Congress repeatedly while barely focusing on women, saying it reflected misplaced priorities.

JAIRAM RAMESH CALLS IT ‘DISTRESS ADDRESS, NOT NATIONAL ADDRESS’

Jairam Ramesh termed the speech a “Congress-abuse address” and said it was far from the tradition of a Prime Minister’s national communication.

He said, “A sitting Prime Minister’s address to the nation has a sanctity. It is meant to build national resolve and confidence. This was a distress address rather than a national address.”

Ramesh also accused the Prime Minister of failing to face the media and instead using the national platform to deliver a partisan attack after what he described as a “legislative setback in the Lok Sabha”.

He further challenged the government to implement women’s reservation immediately within the existing 543-seat Lok Sabha framework instead of linking it to other proposals.

MANISH TEWARI FLAGS MISUSE OF NATIONAL BROADCAST

Congress leader Manish Tewari also criticised the Prime Minister’s address, saying it went beyond the accepted democratic norms of a national speech.

He said the broadcast was used to “lambast the Opposition” over the women’s reservation bill defeat instead of focusing on constructive parliamentary dialogue.

Tewari also pointed to concerns raised earlier that the legislation was being politically framed in a way that went beyond its stated objective of women’s empowerment.

WOMEN’S RESERVATION BILL DEFEAT TRIGGERS POLITICAL WAR

The political confrontation follows the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, which sought to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures.

The Bill required a two-thirds majority but failed to pass despite strong debate in Parliament.

While the government maintains the legislation was a major step towards empowering women, Congress leaders argue it was politically misrepresented and used to attack the Opposition instead of building consensus.

With both sides exchanging sharp accusations, the women’s reservation debate has now turned into a wider political flashpoint between the ruling BJP and Congress.

- Ends

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