Crocodile tears, election speech, Opposition slams PM's address

Opposition leaders slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Saturday address to the nation as politically motivated, lacking substance, and in violation of democratic norms, as it was delivered amid elections in several states. They suggested that the address should be treated as a campaign speech and its cost added to the BJP's election expenditure, alleging it was a misuse of official platforms, as the Model Code of Conduct is in force in many states.
In a post on X, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha leader John Brittas said, "No PM has ever used a national address to openly criticise and target the opposition in this manner." He accused the prime minister of breaking a "long-standing democratic norm" with his address to the nation to criticise the Opposition. CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar called the address "hollow" and "devoid of any meaningful content." "The Prime Minister has offered no explanation, no accountability, only repetition of a manufactured narrative meant to hide the government's own failure. This was not an address to the nation, but an attempt to deflect responsibility through rhetoric," he wrote.
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby derided Modi's address as a "sorry face-saving attempt filled with mere rhetoric." "Women's reservation in Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies can be and should be implemented right away, without any linkages to delimitation or the Census," he said. "Yet, the ruling government refused to introduce amendments to do the same, both in 2023 and now," he said on X."He stands truly exposed," he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge strongly criticised the Prime Minister’s address, saying it reflected a clear shift in priorities away from women’s empowerment.Kharge also accused the Prime Minister of misusing the national platform, saying, “A desperate and frustrated PM Narendra Modi with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years turned an official address to the nation into a political speech full of mudslinging and outright lies.” He further said the address focused more on attacking Opposition parties than on explaining the failure of the women’s reservation bill.