As PM Modi Speaks At Red Fort, An Empty Chair Sends A Message

New Delhi:

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on its 77th Independence Day today, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stayed away and sent out a strong recorded message highlighting the contributions of past Prime Ministers.

A chair with Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was among the vacant seats at a section of the historic Red Fort where PM Modi delivered his speech. He was “not feeling well”, said the Congress, explaining his absence.

In his video message, Mr Kharge paid tribute to freedom icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Maulana Azad, Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu and BR Ambedkar.

He also highlighted the contributions of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and other Congress PMs like Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. He also mentioned BJP icon Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Every Prime Minister has contributed to the progress of the nation. Today some people try to say that India has seen progress only in the past few years,” the Congress president said, in an apparent swipe at PM Modi.

“Along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, all PMs thought about the nation and took many steps for development. It is with pain that I say that today democracy, Constitution and autonomous bodies are under serious threat. New tools are being used to stifle the voice of the opposition. Not only are there CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax raids, the Election Commission is also being weakened. Opposition MPs are being muzzled, suspended, mics are being muted, speeches are being expunged…”

Mr Kharge listed the creation of Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, AIIMS, space research. Nehru, he said, promoted art, culture, and literature in newly independent India.

The policies of Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi helped India become atma nirbhar (self-reliant), he said, using one of PM Modi’s key mantras.

“Great leaders don’t erase past history to create new history. They try to rename everything – they renamed past schemes, infrastructure projects, they are ripping apart democracy with their dictatorial ways. Now they are renaming old laws that established peace in the country. First they said ‘acche din’, then new India, now Amrut Kaal – are they not changing names to hide their failures?

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called Bharat Mata as the voice of every Indian in a message on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Bharat Mata is the voice of every Indian! Happy Independence Day to all the countrymen,” he said, sharing some thoughts from his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.