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Kharge's ‘recycled ritual’ jibe at Modi govt after President's address in budget session
“The slogan of Viksit Bharat is repeated loudly, yet it carries no clear goals, no timelines and no measurable outcomes,” Kharge said in a post on X.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday took a shot at the BJP-led Centre over President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament for the budget session, as he alleged that the Union Cabinet clears the speech every year like a “recycled ritual” and “reusing the same set of claims without truth or accountability”. Track updates on Ajit Pawar death
“The slogan of Viksit Bharat is repeated loudly, yet it carries no clear goals, no timelines and no measurable outcomes,” Kharge said in a post on X, as he targeted the central government over the issue of MGNREGA.
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“While making lofty speeches on ‘development,’ the anti-poor, pro-crony Modi Govt has mercilessly dismantled MGNREGA — an Act that guaranteed the Right to Work; snatching away the only source of livelihood for crores of workers,” he wrote.
President's address ahead of Budget session
Earlier in the day, President Murmu marked the start of the session with her address to a joint sitting of Parliament as she urged members of both Houses to stand united on issues such as the “resolve for Viksit Bharat”, and campaign for swadeshi (local goods) and national security, while asserting that these issues were “beyond all differences”.
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She also said the government will continue to accelerate the momentum of the "reform express" as she listed various economic and social initiatives taken to make India a developed nation by 2047.
Congress reaction on President's address
Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal reacted later: "Nothing was there; just a repetition of things they have done which they have told earlier also."
"Totally hollow speech prepared by the government that is customarily delivered by the President. Hollow promises of the government are repeated again and again," Venugopal said.
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Taking up the MGNREGA issue, he said that the Congress protested “at that point in time”. "We are already on an agitation for the withdrawal of the VB law. That is why I said these are hollow promises of the Union government."
President Murmu's reference to the VB-G RAM G Act in her address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament sparked protests from opposition parties, which raised slogans, demanding a rollback of the law.
The President said the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act would provide a guarantee for 125 days of work, and stop corruption and leakages. She also asserted that it would provide a new impetus to rural development.
