Congress MP and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday defended her mother, Sonia Gandhi, over the latter’s remark against President Droupadi Murmu, saying she has the utmost respect for the leader.
Sonia Gandhi triggered a controversy by referring to the President as a “poor thing” during the latter’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament.
“My mother is a 78-year-old lady. She simply said that ‘the President must have been tired reading such a long speech, poor thing’. She fully respects her and has the utmost respect for her (the President). Unfortunately, this kind of thing is twisted by the media,” Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in Delhi.
She also criticised the BJP’s demand for an apology, saying it should first apologise for “ruining the country.”
“They are both respected people, they are older than us, they are at a certain age now and it is pretty clear that she (Sonia Gandhi) means no disrespect,” the Congress MP added, speaking to reporters after attending a committee meeting at the Parliament House complex.
What did Sonia Gandhi say?
After President Droupadi Murmu delivered her address to a joint sitting of Parliament, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were seen discussing the speech in the Parliament complex.
In a video circulating on social media, Sonia Gandhi was reportedly heard saying, “The poor lady, the President, was getting very tired by the end… she could hardly speak, poor thing.”
Reacting to the comments, Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a statement on Friday, saying that Sonia Gandhi’s remarks about President Murmu were disrespectful and hurt the dignity of the high office, calling them “unacceptable”.
The President’s office also suggested that the leaders may have misinterpreted the statement due to unfamiliarity with “the idiom and discourse in Indian languages such as Hindi,” leading to a wrong impression.
“In any case, such comments are in poor taste, unfortunate and entirely avoidable,” the statement read.
The BJP strongly condemned Sonia Gandhi’s remarks, calling them “deeply disrespectful” and highlighting the opposition’s “continued disregard” for the dignity of the highest constitutional office.
Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, defended Sonia Gandhi, saying on X, “Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s empathy for Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu ji’s health cannot be digested by the men in BJP. Every person in India has respect and empathy for the President.”
He further challenged the BJP, asking, “Will the BJP answer for the disrespect shown to President Murmu when she was not invited to the inauguration of the Parliament or the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya? I challenge them to answer this question.”