’Why insult President?’: PM Modi slams Congress amid row over Sonia Gandhi’s ’poor thing’ comment against Murmu

Prime Minister Modi defended President Murmu amid controversy over Sonia Gandhi's remarks. BJP has also criticized the comments as disrespectful, asserting the need to uphold the dignity of the presidency and promote women-led development in India.

Livemint
Published4 Feb 2025, 06:31 PM IST
'Why insult President?': PM Modi slams Congress amid row over Sonia Gandhi's 'poor thing' comment against Murmu
’Why insult President?’: PM Modi slams Congress amid row over Sonia Gandhi’s ’poor thing’ comment against Murmu(Sansad TV)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a sharp rebuttal on Tuesday amid continued controversy over remarks made against President Droupadi Murmu.

The BJP had earlier launched a scathing attack against the Congress — deeming the remarks “deeply disrespectful”. Party leaders also claimed that the remarks made by Gandhi underscored “continued disregard” shown by the Opposition for the dignity of the highest constitutional office.

“A woman President is being humiliated. I can understand the political frustration…but what is the reason why the President is being insulted? Today, India is moving ahead leaving this kind of distorted mentality and taking the mantra of women-led development forward... If half of the population gets the full opportunity, then India can move ahead at twice the speed. And this belief of mine has become stronger after working in the field for several years,” he said.

Also Read | ‘Slanderous’, ‘derogatory’: BJP MPs move privilege motion against Sonia Gandhi

Controversy erupted earlier this month after a video of the senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi discussing a speech by the President went viral. The remarks were made during a conversation between Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after Murmu concluded her address to the Parliament on Friday. Rahul Gandhi was also heard asking his mother if the speech was "boring".

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

Also Read | Priyanka Gandhi clarifies Sonia’s ‘poor thing’ remark: ‘Mother is 70 yrs old…’
Also Read | Budget 2025: ’President could hardly speak, poor thing,’ says Sonia Gandhi

The Rashtrapati Bhavan has since deemed the remarks ‘unacceptable’ and ‘entirely unavoidable’ — contending that the leaders in question may have formed the wrong impression.

“These leaders have said that the President was getting very tired by the end and she could hardly speak. 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,” read an official statement.

Also Read | President Murmu was not tired’: Rashtrapati Bhavan counters Sonia Gandhi

(With inputs from agencies)

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First Published:4 Feb 2025, 06:31 PM IST

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