The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee has strongly criticized the absence of Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the visit of President Droupadi Murmu to Mathura, calling it a “blatant insult to democratic traditions” and a “disrespect to the country’s first tribal woman President.”
UP Congress President Ajay Rai, in a strongly-worded statement issued on Friday, condemned what he described as repeated instances of neglect and disregard towards President Murmu by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“This is not the first time the BJP has disrespected the President. She was not invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building, and she was also conspicuously absent during the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya. These actions expose the mindset of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, one that is anti-women and anti-Dalit,” Rai alleged.
He further claimed that Prime Minister Modi has concentrated all powers in his own hands, creating a state of “undeclared emergency” in the country. “The situation has deteriorated to the extent that even the President of the Republic of India is being sidelined. The BJP government continues to undermine democratic institutions and traditions on a daily basis,” he added.
The statement has sparked political debate, with Opposition parties rallying behind Rai’s remarks while BJP leaders have yet to respond to the allegations.
President Droupadi Murmu was in Mathura on an official visit to attend cultural and spiritual events, but her visit was marked by the conspicuous absence of the top state leadership.