A remark by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi that President Droupadi Murmu during her address to the joint sitting of parliament looked “very tired” and “could hardly speak, poor thing” has created a controversy, with Rashtrapati Bhavan issuing a strong statement to condemn her assertion about the first citizen of the country.
“Rashtrapati Bhavan would like to clarify that nothing could be farther from the truth. The President was not tired at any point. Indeed, she has believed that speaking up for the marginalized communities, for women and farmers, as she was doing during the course of her address, can never be tiring,” Murmu’s office insisted in the statement on Friday.
“The President’s office believes it might be the case that these leaders have not acquainted themselves with the idiom and discourse in Indian languages such as Hindi, and thus formed a wrong impression. In any case, such comments are in poor taste, unfortunate and entirely avoidable,” the rebuttal read.
“Some prominent leaders of the Congress party have made comments that clearly hurt the dignity of the high office, and therefore are unacceptable,” Rashtrapati Bhavan stated.
Presidential address
After the customary Presidential address of the joint secession of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that marked the beginning of the budget session, Congress veteran leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi told reporters, “the President was getting very tired by the end. She could hardly speak, poor thing.”
Her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, both MPs from the Lok Sabha, were by her side when she offered her reaction on the President’s speech.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came to the defence of her mother and said it was very “unfortunate” that Sonia Gandhi’s comments were “twisted” by the media.
“My mother is 78 years lady, she has simply said that ‘the President read such a long speech and she must have been tired, poor thing’…She fully respects (the President of India). I think it is very unfortunate that this kind of thing is twisted by the media. They both are two respected people and older than us…She means no disrespect,” she clarified.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and the BJP too sought an apology from the Congress.
“I condemn the comments made by Sonia Gandhi and other opposition leaders. Our President, a tribal woman, is not weak… Droupadi Murmu has worked extensively for the country and society and they cannot even imagine the kind of work she has done… They should apologise to her,” Rijiju said.