“During President Murmu’s address to Parliament, PM Modi was shown 73 times, and LoP Rahul Gandhi was shown six times”: Congress

President Murmu criticized the 1975 Emergency, calling it the “biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack” on the Constitution in her speech to Parliament

On Thursday, Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the Congress, said that during President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given more screen time than opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

“How many times was someone shown in the 51-minute speech by the President?

Narendra Modi, the House Leader: 73 times

• Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader, six times
• Government: 108 instances
• Objections: eighteen times

The first speech given by President Droupadi Murmu to both Houses of Parliament upon the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha. The President referred to the 1975 Emergency, which was imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, as the “biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack” on the Constitution.

“Our government is working to make sure that the Indian Constitution is ingrained in the public consciousness; we do not view it as merely a tool for governing,” the President declared.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge responded to the President’s speech on X, saying, “It seemed as though Modi ji is in a permanent state of denial, listening to the President’s address written by the Modi Govt! The nation’s rejection of his “400 plus” slogan and the BJP’s avoidance of the 272 figure meant that the mandate was against him.

He went on, “Modi ji is unable to accept this, which is why he is acting like nothing has changed, but the reality is that the country’s citizens have demanded change.”

Tariq Anwar, the leader of the Congress, stated, “They simply altered some previous speeches. The President’s speech to Parliament today contained nothing novel. Since the Emergency, there have been multiple elections in which the BJP lost. What they have to say is nothing new.