Extracts of the speech of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President & LoP, Rajya Sabha, on the Motion of thanks to the President’s Address in Rajya Sabha on February 3, 2025. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said –Respected Chairman, before starting, I pay tribute to those thousands of people who died in Maha Kumbh. I also want to pay tribute to India’s great economic architect Dr. Manmohan Singh and those who have died without any reason, Sir, the poor people who have lost their lives, women, who have been trampled to death, I also want to pay tribute to them at this time.

The President is an integral part of our Parliament and we all respect him. There is nothing new in the things said by the government in his speech. I listened to the entire speech. Like the Modi government, this speech is also like a line drawn on water for 11 years and this speech is a part of the same series. Many failures have also been described as successes in it. ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is also there in this speech. Can I tell you who did you support and who supported you and whose trust did you get? I would like answers from you. It is not known yet who will answer this on your behalf.

Sir, when the BJP government was formed, it claimed that there will be ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Later, after a year, more words were added, and two new words were added to it, ‘Sabka Vishwas or Sabka Prayas’. So, I will first concentrate on ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, and then I will speak on ‘Sabka Vishwas or Sabka Prayas’. Then after that I will speak on ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhaan’. The farmers and the unemployed of the country are forced to commit suicide. Unemployment has crossed all limits. Inflation has broken the back of the common man and the condition of the people in the villages has become even worse. This government has guaranteed the development of a few rich people. That is why the pain and troubles of the common people are constantly on the rise. If you say something in the interest of the country, then I think that you say it for everyone but you want development only for Adani and Ambani. Development should not happen only for friends. Instead of thinking about the interests of the poor who are on the land, the farm labourers, the farmers, you keep on saying the same thing from morning to evening - development. This port was given to them, this airport was given to them, this road was given to them, only they are getting development. There is no development for the poor, the poor are dying. They are dying due to inflation. There is unemployment, you do not care about it.

Now I will give you the figures. This is Amrit Kaal Sir, but I think that this is not Amrit Kaal but Vish Kaal because unemployed youth are committing suicide, farmers are committing suicide. In ten years, one lakh farmers committed suicide and Modi ji is talking about ‘Sabka Vikas’. There is no development of farmers. Farmers were not given MSP, farmers’ income was promised to be doubled, but there was no growth, there are no jobs and what is happening today is only rising unemployment.

Sir, in 2013, Modi Ji was the CM of Gujarat. There was a UPA government at the centre. What he had said then, I am telling you in his own words - “Rupee is in the hospital”, when the value of Rupee was falling against the dollar. At that time, one dollar was at the level of 60 Rupees. What did you say at that time Modi Ji, Modi Ji had said –“Rupee is in the hospital.” Sir, you see, whenever I meet Modi Ji, I meet him with great respect.

Both of us were arrested and sent to jail for violating section 144 in Gulbarga. Krishnakant, Buddhist Arya, Chandrashekhar, I spoke to you because your father was our companion. I have great respect, and he was with us in the moment. He was with us when the 10 point program was going on, he was with us, we travelled all over the country and conveyed our message to the people.

Look, Sir, in 2013 Modi Ji was the CM and there was a UPA government at the centre. Then Modi Ji had said that the rupee is in the hospital, lying in the ICU. The currency of Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka does not fall, but the Indian rupee becomes weak. So now the rupee is on the ventilator. Now it is falling to 87 rupees and still people are praising it, applauding it. Look at the situation before, what did you say. Compare what you are saying today. Now you keep saying these things again and again to insult someone, then Chairman ji, Chairman sahab ji this is not right. Sir, they have put the rupee on a ventilator, then during Manmohan Singh’s time, during his tenure as Prime Minister, India’s GDP growth rate was 7.8 percent and under BJP rule, the figure has fallen to 5.8 percent, but you people do not accept it. You always stick to your lies. But until the country’s GDP does not grow, how will you create employment? In the last 11 years, they have insulted Dr. Manmohan Singh so much. Some said that he bathes wearing a raincoat. Some said that he does not talk at all, he is dumb, some even said that Manmohan Singh himself does not know how to run a government and is dancing to the tunes of the others. But Dr. Manmohan Singh did not break his silence for the good of the country and everyone. These people even called him ‘Mauni Baba’ at times. These people have a habit of insulting, but we are the ones who tolerate insults. Manmohan Singh worked for the country silently. Sir, I will say a couplet –‘zamaana jaanta hai ki kiska daaman chaak kitna hai, tere badnaam karne se koi badnaam kya hoga, tumhare chahne vale Mubarak ho tumhe, lekin jo humne kar dia, tumse kaam kya hoga.’ What Manmohan Singh ji did, you could not even think of doing that, all this cannot be done by your hands, but you tried to defame him. You kept saying many wrong things about him.

What happened to your model of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’? One is disastrous... be it demonetization and poor implementation of GST or mismanagement of Covid-19 disease, in which the country was brought to the brink of disaster. So, such things have happened, accept it. On one hand you deceive people so much, on the other hand you praise yourself. Sir, there are so many educated young friends in our country, they are all useless, unemployed, they are not getting jobs. But I want to ask the government that there are still 35-40 lakh vacancies in government jobs, why is the government not recruiting?

If you want development for all, fill these 30-40 lakh vacancies in the government. Those in railways, army, teachers, central schools, but you people are not recruiting, not filling vacancies so that scheduled caste children are not recruited and you have said a lot that you will give two crore jobs every year, till now you had to give 22 crore jobs. Where are they? If it is a lie then I will speak against it, but you speak lies and then you immediately stand up. This is the truth, isn’t it? Sir, in his last budget he had said that he will send our youth to 500 good companies by giving them stipend and will get them jobs there and secondly Modi ji said that he always calls agriculture number one, engine number one.

Engine Number One, but in this budget, what has been given to Engine Number One, to the farmer, how much has been given? Have they received what they are demanding today? Sir, don’t make false promises. Make fewer promises, but implement them more. Leaving that aside, you start giving different speeches to attract votes. Stomachs don’t get filled neither by giving speeches nor by taking a dip. Stomach gets filled by food. Mahatma Buddha has also said that food is necessary for a man to live and only when a man eats, all parts of his body work. That is why I am saying -ensuring that no one is starving is paramount.

That is why I talked about one lakh farmers committing suicide in ten years. Sir, these are not my figures, these are NCRB figures. More than one lakh farmers have committed suicide since 2014. Who is responsible, Sir? Does their development happen after their death? So, this is true and what will happen by increasing the credit limit, Sir? The debt will increase. What will help you? Where is your subsidy, where is your MSP? Where is your fertilizer subsidy? Where is the exemption in your equipment? Sir, you also impose Gabbar Singh Tax on this and on the other hand you say that I am a great well-wisher of the farmer. Sir, Modi ji does not understand the pain and suffering of the farmers.

What you understand, Modi sahab does not understand. You have come from a farmer’s family. You understand the pain and suffering of the farmer. How to hold the plough, when to hold the hoe, when to sow the seeds and at least you know that. Modi ji has not even held the plough, but you have seen by staying with those who hold the plough, you have done your work. At least you have seen the work that women do in the fields with the hoe... but Modi ji has not seen anything, how they serve tea in the train compartment, however he has seen that.

Sir, the MSME sector is the second engine in the country and it is also the backbone of GDP. Second backbone, but what has happened to it - 12,000 MSMEs have closed down in four months. Sir, everyone knows that many MSMEs have closed down, but the government does not accept it and on the other hand, public sectors - railways, ports, airports, public sectors, public resources, they are handing over to Adani, handing over to one person. Are there no other industrialists? Give them a level playing ground. So, what do you people do - Sir, you make rules for their benefit and release an advertisement so that only they get the benefit... Modi ji is doing the same and what should we do?

So, he gave all this to one person, i.e. a capitalist like Adani. I am and will always be in favour of the public sector and the only way to help the poor is the one that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had found and Sir, I will tell you a small thing that Gopaldas Neeraj Ji had said. What did he say –‘Jyon loot le kahaar hi dulhan ki paalki, haalat yahi hai aaj Hindustan ki. Auron ke ghar ki dhoop usay kyun pasand ho, bechi ho jisne roshni, apne makaan ki.’ ‘It is like the palanquin of the bride is robbed by the palanquin bearers themselves. This is the condition of India these days. Why should he like the sunlight of others’ house, who has sold the light of his own house.’

Sabhapati ji, violence and oppression against minorities is continuing. Modi Ji’s silence has given a few people of BJP the freedom to spread hatred, no action is taken against them. My point is against the government, not against you, if you do not agree then it is your wish.

Manipur is the biggest example of the ‘Sabka Saath’ model. The situation there remains critical... In 2023, 243 violent incidents took place in the North-East, out of which 187 happened only in Manipur and last year 258 deaths have occurred, but Modi ji does not have the courage to go there. And he does not want to go to Manipur. Modi ji talks about the country, but does not go there to resolve the dispute and tells us - keep peace in the country, everyone is peaceful, but why are you not going to Manipur?

Rahul ji can go to Manipur, but you cannot. Other people can go, we can take out ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from there, but you cannot even attend to the people there. This is the truth of ‘Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas’ in the case of SC-ST. This has become ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Now it is ‘Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas’. What is the effort? SC-ST, OBC are ruined, there is no proper system for their education and today crimes against SC have increased by 13 percent and crimes against ST have increased by 14 percent and the conviction rate has gone down to less than 7 percent and this shows that there is lack of governance and if those who govern do not work properly, then it becomes very difficult. These people will beat up Dalits, kill them, Dalit people will die, all this will happen.

I don’t want to say much, I will give you three examples about this. First - the Ayodhya incident happened the day before yesterday. The whole country is ashamed of the kind of brutality that happened with the Dalit girl who had gone to listen to the Bhagwat Katha and Sir, I want to show you that her eyes were gouged out, her legs were broken and she was raped and then murdered. You must have read this too, you must have also received the news, but still why is the government silent?

When a small incident happens, so many statements come against us and others. Why are you silent now? In the Ayodhya rape case, the woman died due to excessive bleeding. The police has maintained silence on the rape case. This is the UP government and sir, do not praise the UP government. Praising it will lead to more bloodshed and the Chief Minister will say, look at me, I got a Vice President’s certificate and he will roam around with this certificate. So please leave such people alone.

The second thing I want to say is a news of January 22, 2025. You must have read that there were more police than guests in the wedding procession of a Dalit bank employee. His wedding takes place under the surveillance of drones, the wedding procession goes out on a mare. A Dalit man cannot even get married like others, he cannot sit on a horse, his wedding procession cannot go out and for him there were as many police as guests and on top of that drones... this is the situation, this is everyone’s effort! I am saying this because I will give it to you in Annexure-2, I have these things, but see this news is in Dainik Bhaskar, you read it a lot. If there is a lie in the newspaper, then I leave it, but this incident is a reality, it comes in all media. You can ask the intelligence, sir, if you don’t trust me then ask the intelligence... So this second incident, I am telling you, is not old.

Manoj Kumar is Bihar’s MP from Sasaram, he was attacked with lethal intent. He was elected from Sasaram reserve seat, if this is the condition of an MP, then you should think what kind of politics is happening here. I would request you that is this everyone’s belief? Is this everyone’s effort? This is an effort to eliminate Dalits, women are being raped and you are saying that this was published in the paper. If all the things published in the paper are lies, then don’t read any paper.

Sir, the second thing is that the information received from RTI shows that more than 80 percent and in some places up to 90 percent of the faculty in IITs, IIMs are from the general category. There are no reserved candidates, no backward candidates. There is no one there, only 80-90 percent general candidates and I am talking about this from the Right to Information. If you ask about authenticity, then Sir SC-ST, OBC are being deprived of the constitutional rights of higher education and jobs. This is a complete conspiracy to keep these people in the dark and separate them from higher education. This is what is happening in today’s BJP government. Sir, Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, Triple ITs are all running in the same way. So Sir, you are stopping scholarships. You have cut the scholarships of SC-ST and OBC students, you have stopped pre-matric scholarships. What is this Sir, is this development for all, is this an effort to take them forward? And in 2015, more than 61,000 aided schools were closed, ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’...this is the situation that more than 61,000 aided schools have been closed. Work is going on to close 27,000 government schools in Uttar Pradesh and 50,000 more schools will be closed under the rationalization school policy. So, the BJP government has taken over the entire education system and under the UGC regulation, the government can make anyone the Vice Chancellor. The administrative authority of the states has been handed over to the Governor and this government is such that it listens less to the elected government and more to the Governor.

So that is why Sir, these people are destroying the federal structure. Look, if there is democracy, we are here today, tomorrow we will not be here, nobody will stay here forever, but there should not be a wrong Precedent. If we do wrong today, then the same will continue in the future as well. The country is harmed by this, democracy is harmed by this, because of this anyone can do anything wrong by twisting our Constitution.

When my Party was in power, I was also in it, the Governor was from the Janata Party. If we sent any proposal, it used to come quickly, in a proper manner, the Governor cannot rule the government elected by the people. This is my request to you and if you do not do this then you are ending the federal system.

I have already said that these people, especially SC-ST people, have suffered and today their jobs have ended. 1,30,000 jobs were to be given to them, but they are not getting them. So, if you give two rotis and rice, I will give 2,000 rupees to some... you will say this too. But these people get permanent jobs for 40-50 years, they can also raise their children, educate them. That is why there is a need to recruit in these jobs, there is no use in just giving sermons.

Sir, today at least 46 percent of the workers are on contractual basis and even lateral entry is being done from somewhere else, they do not have any qualification. Sir, I will tell you that this lateral entry is very dangerous because they are sitting in the place of IAS officers and they are also making appointments in universities. Governors are to be appointed, if there is any plan under skill development then please tell me. You told that under skill development, you are giving training to the person who fits in the field.

If a Governor who does not know anything, if he does not have any qualification, you are going to make him the Vice Chancellor. So, he is lateral, even in the presence of qualified people. Available people, qualified people… if they are there, why you are going for lateral entry? Why do you want to do away with the reservations for SC, ST, backward classes? Because you want to end reservations for SC, ST, backward classes. They should not become Vice Chancellors, they should not become professors, that is why you are doing all these things and this is a big conspiracy and you are giving contractual labour employment and this is what you think, if I say this then some people will raise their voice that your thinking is that of ‘Manusmriti’. If I say this, then people immediately raise their voice because they are supporters of Manuism, so they have to raise their voice.

If someone becomes the Finance Minister today, someone becomes the Education Minister, someone becomes something else, then this is the gift of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Under the Constitution they made, all the posts were created and we also got the right to speak. Today we got it because of the Constitution. That is why Sir, do not listen to the Manuvadis, at least let bygones be bygones, we will see what happens in the future.

The second thing is caste census. Regarding caste census, we want to say that once caste census is done, then everyone’s financial condition will be known and which community is in which stage, we can provide facilities to the communities that we need. That is why we are doing caste census. Their condition will be known. So, we are doing it because it will be beneficial for us in making a plan, a scheme.

Now I will tell you only three –‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim and Jai Samvidhan’, I will end by talking about these three. Sir, it is unfortunate that Gandhiji is nowhere mentioned in this Presidential speech. There is some program of Gandhiji, that is why I did not get it. So, did you get any information about Gandhiji and MNREGA? Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhiji, whose photo we first put in the Parliament, you are putting Savarkar’s photo there, is this right?

You worship Godse, that is a different matter. Sir, Gandhiji was given so much importance but today Mahatma Gandhi is missing in your budget, his name is not there. We had named MNREGA after Mahatma Gandhi and that is why you reduced its budget which was earlier 86,000 crores, it is still the same today, like stagnant water.

I do not understand this thing that you talk repeatedly about accepting Gandhiji’s idea, but you did not help him in the Quit India Movement and rather you helped the British at that time. Sir, Hedgewar had suggested many Sangh workers not to join the freedom struggle and said - who will take care of your family? Golwalkar had written about the Quit India Movement - the work of the Sangh should continue even at this time, do not think about the movement.

Gandhi ji was in jail for 2,338 days. Nehru ji was in jail for 3,259 days. How many of your people were in jail, where were they? You people did not go to jail, you did not fight for freedom, you even stopped those who went to jail. This is how this government and this party is, shame on them. We are patriots, we are the ones who will save the country. Sir, BJP leaders believe that independence was achieved in 2014, when Modi ji was elected. And RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat says - independence was achieved in 2024 when Ram temple was built. This is an insult to all the martyrs and freedom fighters. This is an insult to Gandhi ji, an insult to Nehru ji and an insult to all those who fought for independence. That is why Mohan Bhagwat need to mince his words, Modi sahabneed to take his words back. We gave freedom to the country on August 15, 1947.

Sir, one more thing, in Modi Ji’s ‘New India’, on January30, Godse is remembered, not Gandhi. Gandhi’s martyrdom is celebrated and whatever happened in 1948 is happening in the India of 2025. Sir, I will put two facts in front of you - one is, who celebrated the day Gandhi ji was assassinated... You just read it and on February 04, 1948, Sardar Patel wrote a letter. “The joy expressed by the RSS people on Gandhi Ji’s death and distribution of sweets increased this protest even more. In these circumstances, the government had no other option but to take action against the RSS, so I banned them.”

This is the language of our Sardar Patel ji, not mine. Secondly, on February14, 1948, Nehru ji had said this - “We should live together and destroy the poison of the fierce communalism that killed the greatest man of our times. Those forces should be uprooted. Those who celebrate Gandhi Ji’s assassination do not even have the right to be called Indians.” This is Nehru Ji’s statement. This is for Godse’s people, for the RSS, who killed Gandhi ji, distributed sweets, were dancing on the road... it is for them. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji said this on February 14, 1948 and I would like to tell those who are working to erase Gandhism that no one can erase Gandhi Ji’s thoughts.

Sir, I will now come to ‘Jai Bhim’. Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote the Constitution of this country and showed great respect for the poor people. Here a question always arises whether the Congress people insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar? If anyone really insulted him, it was Amit Shah. He did it by saying Ambedkar-Ambedkar-Ambedkar-Ambedkar and you have blamed us. Sir, in a letter written on January18, 1952, Babasaheb himself has written in his own handwriting... look, look, he has written this letter in his own handwriting. On January 18, 1952, he wrote a letter to his friend Kamalakant and he said that who are the people who defeated me? I apologize if any party is shocked by this, then forgive me, but now we put the facts in front.

He wrote a letter to one of his friends -“My dear Kamal Kant, Oscar who has here recently told me that the plot to defeat me was hatched by Dange and Savarkar, who was inflamed by my proposal to partition Kashmir- He said that was revealed to him by Sangolkar… whatever the cause, we must acknowledge the following facts. So, Savarkar and Dange defeated him and you have said that Congress defeated him.This person is considered the God of Dalits, who made the Constitution of this country, gave everyone the right to equality, gave the message of equality to everyone by putting words like equality, liberty, fraternity in the Constitution.

Watch the debate on Hindu Code Bill in the Provisional Parliament and you will understand that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. He had said that Hindu Code Bill is against our society, against Manu and we will never accept the Hindu Code Bill that you have given for women. You can keep this code with you, we will give you an honorary degree, he said such a thing to Babasaheb Ambedkar. Then Babasaheb Ambedkar turned around and said - you have limited understanding.

Your mentality is like that of the alcoholic people you live with, that is why I don’t listen to you. This is what he said, you should read this conversation in the Constituent Assembly debate. Sir, all these people opposed Ambedkar ji, still it is a thank you that Jawaharlal Nehru ji brought it in four parts. Sir, you must know that the Hindu Code Bill came in four parts. It was passed in four parts. It was done by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji and today our women and every citizen are getting its benefits. So, I just say that these RSS people... they burnt the effigy of Babasaheb, burnt the effigy of Gandhi ji and burnt the effigy of Nehru ji as well.

That is why I will strongly say that Amit Shah should apologize and leave his post, because he has done injustice to Dalits and used such language. These people have removed or broken Ambedkar’s statues from anywhere according to their own whims and fancies. Sir, I will end my speech by telling 10 lies of Modi ji. I am speaking only the truth, nothing but the truth. Sir, his first jumla in 2014 - Black money will come from abroad, everyone will get 15 lakhs. Sir, second jumla - I will create two crore jobs every year. Third jumla - I will reduce the price of petrol and diesel. Sir, fourth jumla - He said that I will completely clean Ganga by 2022. Did you do it? Ganga has not been cleaned and you people have made it even dirtier. Sir, fifth jumla- We will implement the infrastructure project as soon as possible, this is the fifth lie and sixth jumla - Make in India, 10 crore new manufacturing jobs in manufacturing by 2022 and seventh jumla - doubling the income of farmers by 2022. Sir, his first slogan in 2014 - Black money will come from abroad, everyone will get 15 lakhs. Sir, eighth jumla - After demonetization, he said - Friends, give me just 50 days, if I have any shortcomings, I will stand at any crossroads you say and accept whatever punishment the people of the country give me. Ninth jumla - Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will run by 2022, has it started? Sir, tenth jumla - All farmers will be given the benefit of being PM Kisan, this was his tenth jumla, farmers did not get the benefit. Eleventh jumla - Fugitive economic criminals will be brought back to India and handed over to the people of the country. Sir, these are 11 lies. Whatever jumlas he made, they are all true, how can I authenticate them, you have heard them yourself. So, you should give advice to those who are trapping the country by giving such jumlas and you should say so and finally I will end my speech by saying this, “Nafrat ke thekedaaron, hinsa ke pairvikaaron, kah do Gandhiji datey rahenge, inke maarey nahi marenge. Ye jitna bhi zor laga lein, dil dimag mein vish faila dein, Gandhi apna kaam karenge, inke mare nahi marenge.”

Having said this, I end my speech. Jai Hind, Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Constitution. Thank you!