Addressing a joint press conference, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge parodied the Prime Minister's slogan of "sabka saath, sabka vikas" (together will all, development for all), made during general elections, and said his tenure had seen the government only caring for the benefit of RSS and BJP.
Modi's actions have led to "RSS ka saath, BJP ka vikas", they said.
"The President's address talks about 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'. This was a slogan coined by the Prime Minister ahead of elections to seek votes, which he did not implement. He instead brought about 'RSS ka saath, BJP ka vikas' and no section of society is happy today," Azad said.
He said all promises made to farmers, labourers, youth, dalits and minorities have remained unfulfilled, and all sections feel neglected, while unemployment has increased.
"The government should clarify on this," he demanded.
"The past year has not been good for economy and along the border," he said.
Claiming that whatever government said on demonetisation was proved wrong and the money scrapped had come back into the system almost in entirety, he demanded an explanation from the government as to why Rs 15,000-20,000 crore was spent on remonetisation.
Kharge said the government had not fulfilled any of the promises made to people. The Modi government promised two crore jobs a year but created 1.7 lakh, he said.
Both Kharge and Azad said the Congress wanted discussions in Parliament on demonetisation, ceasefire violations along the border as well as "erosion" of autonomy of institutions like RBI, CBI and Niti Ayog. They said the matter will be taken up during the meetings of business advisory committees of both Houses.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel took to twitter to castigate the government over the Presidential address.
"The President's address is disappointing and doesn't address any real challenges. It is merely a collection of government's failed promises."
"One year after launching Startup & Standup India funding for startups fell by 42.7 pc," Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said in a series of tweets.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
