“This year the President’s first address was in January and second in June. The first address was for elections and the second was also the same. There was neither vision nor direction in the President’s address,” Kharge said at the beginning of his response.

The Rajya Sabha saw a fiery debate as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Monday hit out at the government over issues ranging from the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam to the Agnipath scheme.

His speech was marked with several disruptions. Kharge’s remarks on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and appointments of its members prompted criticism from Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who questioned, “Is it a crime to be part of an organisation.”

Kharge also spoke about the speeches made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha campaign, saying that the PM had tried to create “division” in the society by “spreading  misinformation”.

Kharge was responding to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Rajya Sabha. Expressing disappointment, he said the President Droupadi Murmu’s address was full of praises for the central government but failed to address the issues in society.

“This year the President’s first address was in January and second in June. The first address was for elections and the second was also the same. There was neither vision nor direction in the President’s address,” Kharge said at the beginning of his remarks in Rajya Sabha.

Decrying Murmu’s address further, he said, “We were confident that the President would say something about the challenges to the Constitution and democracy… There was nothing for Dalits, minority sections and the backward classes in her address. Like the last time, it was just about full of words of appreciation for the government.”