PM Modi Criticizes Congress and Gandhi Family in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, India – Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, indirectly referencing Rahul Gandhi and claiming that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had protected someone who should have taken responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the recent general elections.

PM Modi alleged that the Gandhi family often pushes other leaders, usually from Dalit or OBC communities, to take the blame when the party performs poorly, ensuring the family remains unaffected. He questioned the Congress’s joy despite their losses, suggesting it might be for their ‘hattrick of loss’ or ‘another failed launch’.

During his reply to the debate on the ‘motion of thanks’ on the President’s address, PM Modi mentioned that Kharge had shielded someone from bearing the brunt of the Congress’s loss in the Lok Sabha polls. He cited the example of Kerala MP K Suresh, who was fielded for the post of Speaker in the lower house despite an expected defeat.

PM Modi criticized the Congress for having an ‘anti-SC/ST/OBC’ mindset, pointing out instances where Dalit leaders were fielded in elections with expected losses, such as Sushil Kumar Shinde in 2022 and Meira Kumar in 2017. He also mentioned the alleged humiliation of former President Ram Nath Kovind and the first tribal woman President of the country.

On June 26, BJP MP Om Birla was re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker after a motion by PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was adopted by the House. The opposition, which had nominated K Suresh, did not press for a division vote.

Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha condoled the loss of lives in a stampede incident at a ‘Satsang’ in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. Rajya Sabha LoP Kharge called for legislation to prevent similar incidents in the future.