The Opposition has slammed the contents of President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to Parliament, describing them as “jugglery of words” and rehash of election slogans, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi used during the lok Sabha poll campaigns. The Opposition also criticised the presidential address for failing to come out with any “concrete roadmap” to implement the promises of the BJP-led Government.
“There is no new line of thinking. It is just a jugglery of words. It does not give any sense of direction. It is full of platitudes and replete with cliches and slogans. There is no original vision of the Government and the whole approach is superficial,” Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.
Making light of President’s assertion that the Modi Government was committed to follow a policy of “minimum Government, maximum governance”, Sharma wondered whether it meant minimising the role of Ministers and maximising the role of Prime Minister in the Government.
Criticising the “lopsided’ nature of its foreign policy,” Sharma expressed concern over the “truncated world view” of the BJP-led Government and pointed out that the address was silent on look East policy, BRICS, IBSA, West Asia and India’s policy towards African nations. “This truncated world view is very worrisome which will send a very negative image of us to our partners in the region,” he said.
Sharma also reminded the Prime Minister that the BJP and the States ruled by it had opposed Goods and Sales Tax and the most strident opposition had come from Gujarat, then led by Modi.
The President in his address observed that the Government will make every effort to introduce GST while addressing the concerns of the States.
Speaking separately, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Veerappa Moily said that the BJP-led Government was not focused on governance, creation of jobs and also on the issue of containing inflation. “People were expecting and looking forward to the Government. But you don’t find any concrete plans. There is no concrete roadmap. How they are going to achieve thatIJ “ Moily said.
Echoing these views, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the Government’s “blueprint” for the coming year was missing in the President’s address. “Compilation of election slogans and rehash of the BJP manifesto were repeated in the speech. But how it will be implemented was not there. It has only expressed intention not the solution,” he said
Another senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said “the President’s speech is enunciation of dreams and hopes which we have seen in the market place for last three months.” “The next couple of months will determine how much the Government is materialising these dreams and hopes into reality,” he said.
At the AICC briefing, Sharma also found fault with the Government’s FDI pitch wondering as to why the BJP opposes FDI in multi-brand retail. At the same time, he said the Congress endorses the Government’s intent as expressed in the address to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in State Assemblies and the lok Sabha.
He said the Congress also backs the Government over its assertion that nuclear agreements will be operationalised and nulcear power projects for civilian purposes will be developed.