‘Old rhetoric': Opposition hits back at Modi's I-Day speech

Hindustan Times

7 hours ago

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of filling constitutional bodies with 'people of its ideology', and claimed that the ruling party can go to the extent of immorality to remain in power. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hoists the national flag during the 79th Independence Day celebration in New Delhi. (PTI)
Hoisting the Tricolour in Indira Bhavan — the Congress's new central office — for the first time, Kharge further reminded the opposition party that the fight over alleged manipulation of voter lists is not for winning elections but to save democracy.
'The ruling party has filled the constitutional institutions with people of its ideology instead of merit. Whenever they wanted, they appointed anyone, and whenever they wanted, they took their resignation,' he said in his address.
Kharge invoked the history of India's freedom movement and said the story of the freedom struggle is 'the story of our party'.
Attacking the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP over the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, Kharge quoted BR Ambedkar, saying 'Franchise is one of the most fundamental things in a democracy. No person who is entitled to be brought into the electoral rolls… should be excluded merely as a result of prejudice…'
'But now the ruling party is ready to go to the extent of immorality to remain in power. Large scale irregularities are coming to the fore in the elections. In the name of SIR, the votes of the opposition are being openly cut. Those who are alive have been made dead,' Kharge said.
Fellow party MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ₹1 lakh crore scheme aimed at creating 35 million jobs for the youth. 'Even after 11 years, Modi ji's same old rhetoric, same rehearsed figures. Last year, a promise of 1 crore internships from ₹1 lakh crore - this year, again a ₹1 lakh crore job scheme!' Gandhi said in a post on X, referring to the PM Internship Scheme announced during last year's Union Budget.
'What's the truth? In response to my question in Parliament, the government admitted - less than 10,000 internships. The stipend so low that 90% of youth refused it,' Gandhi said. 'Modi ji has no new ideas left. From this government, the youth will get not jobs, but only rhetoric.'
Meanwhile, other Opposition leaders reacted sharply to PM Modi's reference to RSS in his Independence Day speech. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said, 'They should remember their very first session, they should remember that it is the seculars and socialists that will lead the way forward. The BJP itself had resolved to follow the path of secularism. The RSS' ideology does not align with secularism.'
Similarly, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the RSS reference as the 'most troubling element' of the PM's speech. 'A blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic. It is nothing but a desperate attempt to appease the organisation in the run-up to his 75th birthday next month. Decisively weakened after the events of June 4th, 2024, he is now at their complete mercy and reliant on Mohan Bhagwat's good offices for the extension of his tenure post-September.'