Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

New Delhi: Hitting back at PM Modi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, ‘The frustrated and disappointed PM, who had nothing meaningful to show in the last 12 years, turned the official address to the nation into a political speech full of mudslinging and lies.’ “The Model Code of Conduct is in place and it is very clear how PM Modi misused the official machinery to attack his opponents. It is a mockery of democracy and the Constitution of India,” Kharge said in a post on Twitter. ICC spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said Modi should have apologized for his shameless, fraudulent attempts to push a devious delimitation proposal in the name of women. His ‘intentions’ are nothing but clear. It is poisonous.” Ramesh said PM Narendra Modi should answer why the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, passed in September 2023, was notified late on April 16 after a delay of 30 months.Ramesh said, “His talking about women’s dignity is sheer hypocrisy, given the way he has conducted himself throughout his life. What the Prime Minister attempted yesterday in the Lok Sabha – to undermine our democracy and our federalism – was exactly the kind of attack on the Constitution that was feared when the PM called for ‘crossing 400’ for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.” The Congress spokesperson said the Prime Minister’s “attempt to invoke the legacy of the Constitution makers only draws disgust at his dishonesty”. He also rejected PM Modi’s claims that Congress had opposed Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile and GST, arguing that both the policies were “purely Congress creations”. Ramesh said, “The Prime Minister concluded his speech by saying that it is ‘time’s wait’ for women’s reservation. There is no need of ‘Muhurat’ to give the women of India their rights. Congress challenged the Prime Minister to bring a bill in Parliament tomorrow to implement women’s reservation within the existing system of Lok Sabha.”