Controversy Over Droupadi Murmu Speech: ‘BJP’s Election Campaign’, Says Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi: Droupadi Murmu’s first address to Parliament as President of India has come in for criticism from the Opposition.

According to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP was “conducting its next election campaign” through Murmu’s address ahead of the Budget Session on Tuesday.

In her address, Murmu expressed gratitude to citizens for electing a stable government for two consecutive terms, and went on to talk elaborately about the Narendra Modi government’s decisions like surgical strikes, triple talaq, Article 370, crackdown on terrorism, etc..

“The President doesn’t contest elections but it looks like BJP government is conducting its next election campaign through her,” said Tharoor.

“The entire speech was an election speech trying to praise the government for everything it has done and skipping over the bits it hasn’t done so well,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP added.

The Budget session of Parliament kicked off on January 31 with the customary address by the President to a joint session, followed by the tabling of Economic Survey by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.