Govt's pace of work tripled with focus on middle class: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu, in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Friday, said the pace of work has tripled in the government’s third term.

 

She said the country is witnessing major decisions and policies being implemented at extraordinary speed, “with the highest priority given to the poor, the middle class, the youth, women and farmers.”

 

The President’s previous two speeches to joint sittings of Parliament, on January 31, 2024, and June 27, 2024, had stressed on the government’s efforts at empowering the “four pillars” to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat. On these two occasions, she had identified these four pillars as the poor, youth, women and farmers. But she hadn’t mentioned “middle class” in that context.

 

However, in her speech on Friday, while she didn’t use the phrase “four pillars”, she did include the phrase “middle class” when she spoke of her government’s commitment to the welfare of the poor, the youth, women and farmers.

 

She further said that the “economic progress of a nation like India is defined by the aspirations of the middle class and the fulfilment of those aspirations.”

 

The President’s use of the phrase “middle class” on eight occasions in her speech on Friday, including one that referred to the “neo middle class” of 250 million people that the government says it has lifted out of poverty, came on the eve of presentation of the Union Budget 2025-26 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. It is also five days before the voting for the Delhi Assembly polls on Wednesday.  

 

“The bigger the dreams of the middle class are, the higher the nation soars. It is my government that has, for the first time, openly acknowledged and appreciated the contributions of the middle class on every occasion,” she said.

 

The President elaborated upon the government’s steps for the middle class, listing such decisions as the one to constitute the Eighth Pay Commission, among others.

 

In her June 27, 2024 speech, the President had said: “Achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat will be possible only when the poor, youth, women and farmers of this country are empowered. Therefore, top most priority is being accorded to these four pillars in the schemes of my government. Our effort is to ensure that the benefit of every government scheme reaches them. This is the saturation approach.”

 

In her speech on January 31, 2024, she said: “My government believes that the grand edifice of ‘Viksit Bharat’ will be erected on four strong pillars. These pillars are - youth power, women power, farmers and poor. Their situation and dreams are similar in every part and every section of society in the country. My government is, therefore, working tirelessly to empower these four pillars.”

 

In her speech on Friday, the President said that the government has placed four key principles — service, good governance, prosperity, and pride — at the core of its governance to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat. The government is making rapid advances in its commitment to reform, perform, and transform, she said.

 

Another phrase she hasn’t used earlier, but did on Friday, was Antyodaya. The government has in recent years used the phrase ‘Garib Kalyan’.

 

The President spoke of the government’s steps to protect the interests of small entrepreneurs, assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), boost the Artificial Intelligence Mission and capital expenditure budget increasing from around Rs 2 trillion to over Rs 11 trillion in the last 10 years. She also mentioned the expanding Metro networks in the country, especially in Delhi, river-interlinking projects, steps for empowering the cooperative sector and self-reliance in the defence sector. She expressed her condolences at the “unfortunate” incident at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.

 

‘Insult’ to President

 

Soon after the President delivered her address, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were seen discussing the speech in the Parliament complex. 

 

“The poor lady, the President, was getting very tired by the end... she could hardly speak, poor thing,” Sonia was purportedly heard saying in a video doing the rounds on social media.

 

In a statement issued a couple of hours later, the Rashtrapati Bhavan described Sonia’s comments to be in poor taste, unfortunate and entirely avoidable. The President’s office said such comments hurt the dignity of the high office and therefore are "unacceptable".

 

“These leaders have said that the President was getting very tired by the end and she could hardly speak. Rashtrapati Bhavan would like to clarify that nothing could be farther from the truth. The President was not tired at any point. Indeed, she has believed that speaking up for the marginalised communities, for women and farmers, as she was doing during the course of her address, can never be tiring,” the statement said.

 

In late afternoon, addressing a public meeting in Delhi’s Dwarka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress’ “shahi parivar”, or royal family, of insulting President Murmu, who hails from a tribal background.

 

“The royal family of Congress stooped to a new low. One member called her speech 'boring' and another went further, calling her 'poor' and 'tired'. This is an insult to the 10 crore tribal brothers and sisters of this country. This is an insult to every poor person who rises from the ground,” he said.

 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said President Murmu was insulted by the Modi government when she was not invited to the new Parliament building's inauguration.

 

Congress’ Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said her mother has the utmost respect for the President and that it is very unfortunate that her remarks have been "twisted by the media". 

President Speaks

 

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