Sonia Gandhi’s Remarks On President Murmu Stokes Row Ahead Of Budget Session (screengrab) | X/ANI
New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday stoked a controversy with her “poor lady” remarks on President Droupadi Murmu. When asked about President Murmu’s address in Parliament ahead of the Budget Session 2025, the Congress leader said, “The poor lady, the President, was getting tired at the end.”
“She could hardly speak, poor thing,” Sonia Gandhi added. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi were also present during the media interaction. After the video clip of Sonia Gandhi’s remarks surfaced, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson.
In the clip, Rahul Gandhi could s be heard calling the President’s address “boring”.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders said that the President’s address highlighted the welfare and development work done by the Narendra Modi government i the past 10 years and also the road map for the next few years.
“The last 10 years have been significant in terms of the country’s development. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the country has achieved new milestones. The youth, middle class, poor, and women have been the biggest beneficiaries. We often do not appreciate the political stability and the good that has come out of it in the last 10 years for the country’s economy and the country’s development. The President’s address encapsulates the achievement of the government in the last 10 years and also sets a roadmap and aspiration for the next five years of this collective development journey,” BJP MP Tejasvi Surya told ANI.
“The PM has always been at the forefront of encouraging young people in politics and his explicit mention of young MPs to speak in Parliament on issues of National importance gives great hope, not just for young MPs like us, but millions of young people in the country, whose voice need to be heard in the house,” he added.
Union Minister and Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the country has set new records in the last 10 years. Efforts were made to reduce the gap between rich and poor, schemes were made and implemented for the welfare of the poor, these things were mentioned in the President’s address… The President’s address also mentioned the idea with which our country will work to move forward through policies in the coming years.”
Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary told ANI, “It was a very visionary and progressive speech by the President. He talked about the steps being taken for youth, innovation, higher education… He spoke in detail about the government’s initiatives and thinking… I have returned from Davos. Everyone is excited about India… India’s AI mission is being discussed everywhere.”
Notably, the Parliament’s Budget Session began on Friday Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget on Saturday.
