PM's praise of RSS in I-Day speech troubling, his desperate attempt to appease Sangh: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday termed as "most troubling" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for the RSS in his Independence Day speech, saying it is a "breach" of the spirit of constitutional and secular republic and a desperate attempt to appease the Sangh in the run-up to his 75th birthday.

"The PM was tired today. Soon he will be retired," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said and slammed the prime minister's speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort as "stale, hypocritical, insipid", claiming he recycled his oft-repeated slogans of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' with "little" to show as measurable outcomes.

"The most troubling element of the PM’s speech today was his name-checking of the RSS from the ramparts of the Red Fort - a blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic.

"It is nothing but a desperate attempt to appease the organisation in the run-up to his 75th birthday next month," AICC general secretary, communications, Ramesh said in a post on X.

The Congress leader's reference was to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)  chief Bhagwat's remarks that leaders should give a chance to younger leaders on attaining the age of 75 years, which many in the opposition feel are aimed at Prime Minister Modi.

"Decisively weakened after the events of June 4th, 2024, he is now at their complete mercy and reliant on Mohan Bhagwat’s good offices for the extension of his tenure post-September. This politicisation of Independence Day for personal and organisational gain is deeply corrosive to our democratic ethos," Ramesh said.

The PM’s speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort today was " stale, hypocritical, insipid, and troubling", the Congress general secretary said.

"The 'Made-in-India' semiconductor chip promise has now been made innumerable times -- each time with fanfare, each time without delivery. It has in fact been made with a huge lie - which is Mr. Modi's trademark – given that India's first Semiconductor Complex was set up in Chandigarh in the early 1980s," Ramesh said.

Referring to the promise of doubling farmer's income, he said, "The rhetoric on protecting farmers has become hollow and unbelievable given his history of attempting to bulldoze the three black farm laws and in the absence of a legal guarantee for MSP, the setting of MSP at 50% over the comprehensive cost of cultivation, or a farm loan waiver".

The "lip-service" to job-creation as a target has also become an empty ritual rather than a credible roadmap, he said.

Ramesh also raised the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar and said Modi is yet to answer any of the questions raised by the Leader of Opposition over the credibility of the election mechanism.

"The PM waxed eloquent on unity, inclusion, and democracy, at a time when he has presided over and engineered the collapse of our most foundational Constitutional institutions like the Election Commission.

"He has yet to answer any of the most foundational questions raised by the Leader of Opposition over the credibility of the election mechanism, and is going full throttle with a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar which has disenfranchised lakhs of voters. His claims of empowering states ring hollow when the Centre continues to erode federalism, marginalise elected state government, and throttle or topple Opposition-run governments," Ramesh said.

He said Independence Day should be a moment for vision, candour, and inspiration.

"Instead, today’s address was a bland mix of self-congratulation and selective storytelling -- devoid of any honest acknowledgement of the deep economic distress, the unemployment crisis, and the glaring and growing economic inequality in our society."