President’s address devoid of substance, accountability or credible data: CPI’s Sandosh Kumar

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has described President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Wednesday as a repetition of rhetorical claims of the Narendra Modi government.

Commenting on the President’s address delivered at the start of the Budget Session of Parliament, CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar said that the address was conspicuously devoid of substance, accountability or credible data.

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Sandosh Kumar questioned the Modi government’s claims on lifting 25 crore people out of poverty. He said the same claim is made every year, yet paradoxically, the government continues to distribute free food grains to nearly 80 crore people.

“If poverty has truly declined on such a massive scale, why are crores of families still dependent on free rations to survive? What kind of poverty reduction is this, when people are unable to buy even basic food grains from the market?” he asked.

The CPI MP referred to the alleged financial discrimination against opposition-ruled states, particularly Kerala, saying the President’s address fails to acknowledge the serious issue. He alleged Kerala has been consistently denied its legitimate financial dues, including GST compensation and central transfers.

Sandosh Kumar, who hails from Kerala, said this discrimination is an assault on cooperative federalism and violates the states’ constitutional rights.

He also took on the government on issues of internal security and the economy, stating that the government indulged in selective narration of its achievements while staying silent on its failures.

He referred to the ethnic violence in Manipur and the Red Fort blast, as well as the continuous devaluation of the Indian Rupee, rising unemployment, stagnant wages, and growing inequality.

“There is no credible data placed before Parliament on employment generation, income growth, or poverty reduction. Governance by slogans has replaced governance by evidence,” he remarked.

The MP also expressed concern over the weakening of the country’s international standing, noting that India’s long-held position as a voice for peace, non-alignment, and the Global South is being eroded by alignment-driven foreign policy choices and silence on major humanitarian crises.

The CPI MP also reiterated his party’s opposition to the new labour codes, which he alleged dilute workers’ rights and have been pushed through without meaningful consultation with trade unions.