On Friday, the Opposition launched a vehement assault on the government, singling out Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his perceived inaction on various fronts, including the persistent violence in Manipur, silence on the Bilkis Bano case, Chinese aggression, and the alleged targeting of political rivals by investigating agencies.<\/p>\n
During the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address to Parliament, members of the Treasury bench showered praise on their leader.<\/p>\n
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, led the aggressive attack with Prime Minister Modi present in the House. Kharge accused the government of neglecting the ongoing violence in Manipur and criticized Modi’s silence on the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, the issue of Chinese aggression, and the alleged targeting of political rivals by investigative agencies.<\/p>\n
Kharge countered Modi’s claims on the welfare of the poor and deprived sections, accusing the government of depriving scheduled castes and tribes of reservation benefits. He highlighted issues such as changes in eligibility and qualifications for certain government posts, irregular disbursement of scholarship money, and the dismantling of public sector units crucial for reserved classes.<\/p>\n
The Opposition leader flagged RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s call for a review of reservations in 2015 and questioned why no action had been taken against a BJP chief minister who made a controversial post on X regarding caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n
Kharge also brought attention to the recent draft guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) suggesting that vacant posts in the reserved category could be de-reserved in case of a failure to find suitable candidates.<\/p>\n
Addressing the release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, Kharge urged the Prime Minister to condemn the incident, emphasizing that the convicts were from Modi’s home state. He questioned Modi’s silence on the ongoing violence in Manipur and China’s alleged capture of Indian territory.<\/p>\n
Kharge criticized the government for deploying investigating agencies against Opposition leaders and raised concerns about tainted leaders joining the BJP being spared from such actions.<\/p>\n
In the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Heena Gavit initiated the discussion, taking jabs at the divided nature of the Opposition INDIA bloc and asserting that they posed no challenge to Modi. Gavit specifically mentioned Mamata Banerjee’s unwillingness to accommodate the Congress in her team, portraying a fractured Opposition.<\/p>\n