Centre demands apology from Opposition for protesting during President’s Address to House

A protest during President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session on Wednesday led to sharp exchanges between the government and the Opposition parties, with the government demanding an apology from the Opposition.

Addressing the media, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress and its allies of creating ruckus, while Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Sabha said they had protested in a dignified manner against the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act.

Members of the Congress and its allies briefly raised slogans against the VB-G RAM G Act, demanding its rollback as soon as Ms. Murmu began her address.

“The manner in which the Opposition acted today is a matter of shame for the country. The Congress and its allies will never be forgiven. While tributes were being paid to Vande Mataram on its 150th anniversary and to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the Opposition created a ruckus, disrupting the House when the nation should have been remembering their sacrifices,” Mr. Rijiju said.

“At least Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Shri Rahul Gandhi ji should have told Opposition MPs not to insult Vande Mataram, undermining the honour of our great freedom fighters. Instead they both were also standing and disturbing the President’s speech,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister added in a post on X.

Nadda’s demand

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda demanded an apology from the Opposition. “…the way the Congress leaders and the Opposition once again habitually violated parliamentary decorum is utterly reprehensible,” he said.

“Today, when the President was addressing the joint session, and in her address was mentioning the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, recalling and paying tribute to the declaration of independence from the land of Bengal and the works of sage Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the anarchic Congress and its allies created a ruckus and started shouting slogans,” said Mr. Nadda.

“I fail to understand why the Congress and the INDIA alliance have so much hatred for Vande Mataram, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and the land of West Bengal? Surprisingly, the Trinamool Congress was also a partner in the Opposition’s disruption. The way these people have hurt the dignity of Parliament is highly condemnable…they should apologise to Parliament and the country,” said the Health Minister.

However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took on the government in a social media post.

“Every year the Union Cabinet clears the President’s address like a recycled ritual, reusing the same set of claims without truth or accountability,” Mr. Kharge said, adding, “While making lofty speeches on ‘development’, the anti-poor, pro-crony Modi government has mercilessly dismantled MGNREGA — an Act that guaranteed the Right to Work — snatching away the only source of livelihood for crores of workers. What kind of Viksit Bharat is this, where the poor are denied the means to survive, and dignity is sacrificed for slogans”.

On Opposition uproar as the President mentioned the new VB-G RAM G Act, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said, “We protested at that point of time. We are already on an agitation for the withdrawal of the VB law. That is why I said these are hollow promises of the Union government.”