PM's address 'partisan demagoguery': Jairam Ramesh on Modi's speech

Jairam Ramesh attacked PM Modi’s address as 'partisan demagoguery,' supporting a breach of privilege notice. He cited PM's 'mudslinging' at the opposition after the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing his recent address to the nation as a "partisan demagoguery" rather than a unifying national broadcast. Ramesh highlighted that the defeat of the government's bill was a direct result of "absolute Opposition unity and solidarity," which he claims caught the Prime Minister by surprise.

Jairam Ramesh took particular issue with the content and tone of the Prime Minister's 29-minute televised speech delivered on April 18. He argued that by using the national platform to "mudsling" at political opponents, the Prime Minister has breached long-standing parliamentary and democratic conventions.

"A sitting PM's address to the nation has always been reserved for the overriding purpose of national unity and confidence-building. The Prime Minister's unabashed partisan demagoguery during this address - with 59 different attacks on the Congress party - will be yet another permanent stain on his record as Prime Minister," Ramesh posted on X.

Privilege Motion Filed Over Bill's Defeat

Ramesh backed a breach of privilege notice in Parliament against Narendra Modi, asserting that the PM's "unabashed partisan behaviour during the speech is a permanent stain on his Prime Ministerial record. "My senior colleague in the Lok Sabha, KC Venugopal, has issued a notice of question of privilege against the Prime Minister for his so-called address to the nation following the defeat of his nefarious designs in the Lok Sabha by something he did not expect--absolute Opposition unity and solidarity," said Ramesh.

The remarks come in support of a formal privilege notice issued by KC Venugopal today, following the Prime Minister's reaction to the high-stakes legislative defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, on April 17. The 131st Amendment Bill, which linked women's reservation to a controversial seat-redistribution plan under Article 82, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority--the first such legislative defeat for the Modi government since 2014. Opposition leaders argue the bill was a "surreptitious" attempt to redraw the electoral map through Delimitation without traditional constitutional guardrails. This clash marks a significant escalation in the battle over the 2026 Delimitation and Women's Reservation policies, setting the stage for a volatile period in Indian parliamentary history.

Earlier, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) and Lok Sabha member KC Venugopal today submitted a breach of privilege notice in Parliament against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his April 18 address to the nation after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha.

In his notice, the MP from Alappuzha termed PM Modi's criticism of the Opposition as an "unethical and blatant abuse of power," stating that imputing motives to Opposition MPs accounts for breach of privilege. "In the 29-minute speech termed as 'address' to the Nation, the Prime Minister criticised opposition parties for blocking the bill and made direct reflections on the voting pattern of Members of the Opposition and attributed motives to them... Addressing the Nation by the Prime Minister on Government not able to muster the requisite majority in Parliament, for criticising the Opposition parties, is unprecedented, which is unethical and a blatant abuse of power. Such statements by the highest executive functionary of the country constitute a serious breach of privilege and contempt of the House," Venugopal's notice read.

He stated that it is a parliamentary convention not to reflect upon the conduct or voting by any MP. He said, "It is a time-honoured parliamentary convention and a fundamental privilege of every Member (protected under Article 105 of the Constitution of India) that no person, including the Prime Minister, shall reflect upon the conduct or voting of any Member in the House or attribute motives to such conduct. Any such reflection or imputation directly undermines the dignity and authority of the House and interferes with the free and independent discharge of parliamentary duties by its Members. Apart from the violation of the Model Code of Conduct, the Prime Minister's speech on national television, therefore, amounts to a clear and serious breach of the privilege of the House and of every Member of the Opposition."

"This matter deserves to be treated with the utmost seriousness, as questioning an elected representative performing his duty is not merely a personal assault but a direct affront to the authority of Parliament and to the democratic rights of the people of India," the notice read.

PM Modi Blames Opposition

This comes after Prime Minister Modi pointed out that the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill is a direct blow to the self-respect of women, an insult that the female electorate will permanently engrave in their memories. "Women may forget everything else, but they never forget an insult to their pride," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said "the sin committed by the opposition" will bring them punishment from the people. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)