India / Unfortunate that entire opp'n boycotted Prez's address: Ravi Shankar Prasad

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday accused the Opposition of trying to set “wrong traditions” by boycotting President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to both Houses of Parliament at the commencement of the Budget Session. It said the Congress’s condemnation of the violence at the Red Fort on Republic Day was mere “tokenism.”

Speaking outside Parliament, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “today’s budget session commenced with the President’s address, but it is really unfortunate that the entire Opposition boycotted it.”

“The President of India is above political differences, he is the constitutional head. Respecting him in his address is healthy practice of democracy. It is unfortunate that the Opposition, especially the Congress who governed the country for 50 years, boycotted it. What tradition are they establishing?” he stated.

The Congress members, of whose leading family, the Nehru-Gandhis, had for generations unfurled the National Flag at Red Fort on Independence Day as prime ministers had failed to properly condemn the siege of Red Fort by protesters on Republic Day. “I regret to say that except for tokenism, there was no real condemnation of the defilement of the Red Fort on that [January 26] day by the Congress,” he said.

BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said, “President of India represents rule of the public. The Opposition has disrespected the public by boycotting his Parliament speech. They failed in governance and are now failing as a responsible opposition”.

The government has been facing a protesting Opposition from day one of the Budget Session, with the boycott of the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament and shouting of slogans as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey.