Congress, India’s main opposition party, criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address on Tuesday, calling it “most disappointing,” The Indian Express reported.
Congress asked the Prime Minister to explain his government’s failure to fulfill its promises to the people, especially the youth, farmers and weaker sections of society after three years in power.
The party also slammed Modi for not showing “sensitivity” following the Gorakhpur hospital deaths tragedy and failing to appreciate the gravity of the situation. Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma hit out at the prime minister, saying: “He has in a very trivial manner equated the Gorakhpur tragedy to national calamities.”
On Modi’s call for embracing people in strife-torn Kashmir, Sharma said, “We have never stopped him from embracing Kashmiris. He should talk to all sections and create a national consensus as well as in Kashmir.”
Communist Party of India National Secretary D Raja weighed in as well, saying the prime minister lacked conviction when he spoke about embracing Kashmiris:”They [the government] believe in a military solution to the dispute, but he talks about embracing Kashmiris. There is no conviction in what he said.”
In fact, there is not much difference between Congress’ and Pakistan’s opposition to the Modi government. It’s a sad state of affairs.