Congress calls PM Modi's Independence Day address 'crass election speech'

The Opposition on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertions during his Independence Day address with the Congress calling it a "crass election speech filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises" and said that he will unfurl the tricolour from his home next year.

The Congress said Modi "made it (speech) all about himself and his image" instead of "bringing the country together to celebrate our journey so far, acknowledge the pain and anguish of those suffering, and accept the challenges ahead".

As the Prime Minister insisted that he would return to the Red Fort to address Independence Day celebrations in 2024 after the Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said such remarks showed "arrogance". He added, Modi will surely hoist the tricolour but "at his home".

RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad too said Modi will not return to power and it is the Opposition that will unfurl the tricolour next Independence Day. AAP Minister Aatishi said, "one doesn't need to listen to the Prime Minister's speech to understand his 10 year report card, his work is enough to reflect that the PM has failed."

In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, "...Modi’s failures in the last nine years can be categorised under 'durniti' (bad policies), 'anyay' (injustice) and - perhaps most importantly - 'badniyat' (ill intention). Rhetoric and bluster can no longer cover up this truth which is now evident to the entire country."

He alleged that the only performance has been the "40% commission raj of BJP state governments, the function of BJP as a washing machine to clean those opposition leaders who are arm-twisted by ED/CBI/IT to comply with or ally with the BJP, and bringing down elected state governments".

The only transformation has been in the "concentration of economic power in select Modi-made Monopolies (3M) that is exacerbating price rise and ensuring record inequality". Ramesh also attacked "the Prime Minister’s direct role in directing deals and government revenues towards his most favoured business groups".

Ramesh said Modi casually compared the violence in Manipur with incidents in other parts of the country and he showed "no sorrow or acknowledgment of the abject failures" which have led to Manipur turning into a war zone.

Referring to Modi's claim that a new world order has been ushered in as the world saw India’s capability during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said the Prime Minister "deliberately failed" to mention that as a direct result of inadequate oxygen supplies and "his failure" to order adequate vaccines in a timely manner, "India ended up with 40 lakh Covid deaths".

On China, he said it takes "particular audacity" to claim that our borders are safer than before when Chinese troops continue to block Indian access to 2,000 square km of Indian territory in Depsang and Demchok more than three years after they intruded.

"And the double-engine misfire in Manipur is only further playing into China’s hands. There is no bigger insult to our armed forces than lying about national security from the Red Fort," he said.

He also referred to a new Bill that replaces Chief Justice of India from the selection committee for choosing Election Commissioners, and said the India’s democratic institutions are being continuously eroded.

"The social fabric of the country has been torn apart through the control of media and the misuse of social media by the Modi government, the BJP and the hydra-headed Sangh Parivar. The PM’s talk of “women-led development” rings hollow when he supports sexual predators instead of our female athletes – our national champions who were dragged on the roads of the national capital – and stands by as women are stripped and raped in Manipur," he said.