Day 1 of Parliament’s Budget Session sees protests against CAA-NRC-NPR

President’s address to Parliament has become a platform to legitimise government’s blunders, says Congress’ Ahmed Patel

The President of India’s address to both the Houses of Parliament has become a platform to legitimise the government’s blunders, the Congress said on Friday.

Opposition leaders from 14 parties, led by the Congress, wore black arm bands, vacated the front row seats and sat in one block during the President’s address in the Central Hall of Parliament to protest against the new citizenship law, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the proposed National Population Register (NPR).

Former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, however, sat in his designated front row seat.

When President Kovind hailed the CAA in his speech amidst thunderous applause from ruling party MPs, Opposition members were heard shouting “shame, shame” in the Central Hall at the same time.

Opposition parties may also move a motion against the President’s address, when both the Houses discuss it next week.

‘Despite massive protests’

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said that it was “shameful” the Union government had included the CAA in President Ram Nath Kovind’s speech as an achievement of the government despite massive protests against the bill.

Deputy leader of the Congress Anand Sharma accused the government of “lowering the dignity” of the President’s office as the validity of the CAA has been challenged in the Supreme Court. He described Mr. Kovind’s speech as a “laundry list of wrong laws”.

Mr. Azad said the speech did not have any concrete steps on tackling “real” issues like unemployment, rise in prices of essential commodities, fall in the value of the rupee, or the GDP (gross domestic product).

He said the government’s claim of development in Jammu and Kashmir, after “downgrading” the State to a Union Territory, was a “cruel joke” on the people.

‘Inaccurate statements’

“This government should be ashamed for writing such lies. The honourable President is a dignified person and the government should apologise for making him read out such inaccurate statements. They should also apologise to the people of J&K and the entire country,” Mr. Azad said

“When we have questioned the Constitutional morality of some of the steps taken by the Government, which we have said are discriminatory and divisive, they should not have found any reference in the President’s address. ….Rashtrapatiji’s address did not even have platitudes. It was a laundry list of wrong laws,” Mr. Sharma said, referring to the CAA.

“The President’s address has become a platform to legitimise the government’s blunders. The Father of the Nation cannot be used as a brand ambassador for their divisive policies,” tweeted senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

In a series of tweets, former finance minister P. Chidambaram said Mr. Kovind’s speech had “tiresome old slogans and clichés”.

“Sadly, there was not a word on the macro-economic situation. Not a word on lost jobs, increasing unemployment and rising consumer price inflation. Not a word on the closure of thousands of industries, especially in the SME [small and medium-sized enterprises] sector,” he said on Twitter.

Protest near statue

Earlier in the morning, top Congress leaders led by Sonia Gandhi staged a protest near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Parliament complex to express solidarity with those protesting against the CAA-NRC-NPR.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Nationalist Congress Party were a part of these protests. Party leaders were seen holding “Save Constitution” banners and shouting anti-government slogans.

Ms. Gandhi was accompanied by party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Azad, Mr. Sharma, Mr. Patel, Mr. Chidambaram, senior leaders Motilal Vohra, Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, A.K. Antony and other MPs from both houses.

Shirts under coats

Trinamool Congress (TMC) members also held a silent protest, with many of them wearing shirts that said “NO CAA”, “NO NRC” and “NO NPR”, while others held afloat handkerchiefs with these slogans.

Since MPs are not allowed to carry placards in the Central Hall during the President’s address, the TMC MPs wore the shirts under coats and sweaters.

The leaders of Opposition parties who wore black bands in the Central Hall included those from the NCP, the DMK, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Communist Party of India, the Shiv Sena, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Kerala Congress (M), the Indian Union Muslim League, the National Conference, and the Congress.