BJP, section of media twisting phrase used by Sonia Gandhi to hide bad state of economy: Kharge

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu was insulted by the Modi government when she was not invited to the new Parliament building's inauguration, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Friday on the BJP's criticism of Sonia Gandhi's remarks on the President's address in Parliament.

Kharge asserted that the Congress has always respected the dignity of the office of the President and that in order to hide the bad state of the economy, BJP leaders and a section of the media are twisting the phrase used by Sonia Gandhi.

He alleged that the BJP deliberately kept the current President and her predecessor, Ram Nath Kovind, away from both Parliament and Ram temple in Ayodhya.

His remarks came after the BJP launched an all-out attack on the Congress over its former president Sonia Gandhi's remarks on Murmu's address to a joint sitting of Parliament, saying they were "deeply disrespectful" and underscored the opposition's "continued disregard" for the dignity of the highest constitutional office.

"Her Excellency the President was insulted by the Modi government on the very day when he was not invited to the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.

"The Indian National Congress and our leaders can never insult Her Excellency the President or any citizen. This is not our culture. The BJP had deliberately kept our current President and previous President away from both the Temple of Democracy and the Ram Temple," he said.

Kharge said the Economic Survey has shown the "mirror of truth" to the Modi government and in order to hide the bad state of the economy, BJP leaders and a section of the media is twisting the phrase used by Sonia Gandhi.

Soon after the President delivered her address, Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were seen discussing the speech in the Parliament complex.

"The poor lady, the President, was getting very tired by the end... she could hardly speak, poor thing," Sonia Gandhi was heard saying in a video doing the rounds on social media.

Reacting sharply, BJP national president J P Nadda said in a post on X, "Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's use of the phrase 'poor thing' to refer to the President is deeply disrespectful and underscores the opposition's continued disregard for the dignity of the highest constitutional office." Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, he said. PTI ASK DIV DIV

Source: PTI