All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticised President Droupadi Murmu's joint address in the Parliament on Thursday, saying that it was "like old wine in a new bottle".
Owaisi speaking to news agency ANI said, "In the entire address, there was no mention of minorities or unemployment. US State Secretary Antony Blinken said yesterday that there has been an increase in hate speech in India and religious places of minorities are getting demolished."
He further said that there was "nothing new" in the address, adding that "it was like an old wine in a new bottle. Re-NEET should have been done. There are paper leaks everywhere. They are playing with the lives of 25 lakh youth and their families."
Earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu also raised the '1975 emergency' under the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government. She termed it to be the "biggest and darkest chapter" of the direct attack on the Constitution.
She also spoke about the irregularities in the NEET UG 2024 and said that there is a 'need to rise above partisan politics to arrive at solution for paper leaks'.
"The government has made a strict law against unfair means employed during examinations," Murmu said.
She also hailed the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying that "the government has started giving citizenship to asylum-seekers".
"This has allowed many to live a life of dignity. I wish for a better future for those who have secured citizenship under this law," she said.
Several INDIA bloc leaders criticised the President's address. Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge -- in a post on X -- said, "Listening to the President's address written by the Modi Govt, it seemed as if Modi ji is in a perpetual state of denial!"
"The mandate was against him, because the people of the country rejected his slogan of "400 plus" and kept the BJP away from the figure of 272," he added.
Kharge said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "unable to accept his", which is why he is "pretending" that nothing has changed.
"Overall, Modi ji is making a futile attempt to garner some applause by making the Honourable President read lies, which the people of India have rejected in the 2024 elections," Kharge added.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also pin-pointed some alleged "claims" made in the President's speech which was "written by the Modi government" and debunked those by providing by "reality".
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also took a jibe at Murmu's address, saying that there is no longer a Presidential address, "this has been Modi address since 10 years".
"Whatever Modi ji wants will come out in her speech. It is a minority government, Modi ji has already lost the majority, but there is no mention of it...Even after 50 years, they are talking about an Emergency, there has been an Emergency in this country for 10 years, remove that," Raut told news agency ANI.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, meanwhile, said that there was no logic of talking about Emergency in the President's address after 49 years. "She should have spoken about today's issues. We did not hear anything about the NEET exam or unemployment...The word Manipur did not come out from President Murmu or PM Modi," he said.
"Issues like the India-China border should have been taken up in the address," the Thiruvananthapuram MP added.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that the President's address was "disappointing for us", adding that the opposition will raise those issues in the Presidential debate.
(with agency inputs)
