‘Hypocrisy-laden message to nation’: Cong slams PM Modi’s remarks ahead of Day 2 of Budget session

He will not convene and chair all-party meetings to take the Opposition into confidence on national issues.

He will suddenly have Bills introduced at the last minute and bulldozed through Parliament without the necessary legislative scrutiny.

He will not sit in Parliament and…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 29, 2026

In his critique, Ramesh claimed, “He will suddenly have Bills introduced at the last minute and bulldozed through Parliament without the necessary legislative scrutiny.”

The senior Congress leader added, “He will not sit in Parliament and respond to the concerns of Opposition leaders, and will instead make election rally speeches in both Houses.”

“Before the beginning of each session, he will give his usual hypocrisy-laden ‘desh ke naam sandesh‘ with Parliament as his backdrop. Today’s performance is part of this series,” Ramesh said.

‘FTA with EU is for ambitious India’: PM Modi

PM Modi, hailing President Murmu’s speech on the first day of the Budget Session 2026, said, “At the very beginning of the session and at the start of 2026, the Honourable President expressed certain expectations from the Members of Parliament. In very simple words, as the head of the nation, she conveyed her sentiments, and I am confident that all the esteemed MPs must have taken them seriously.”

Modi’s comments came a day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called Murmu’s speech as “recycled” which lacked any “truth or accountability”. “Every year, the Union Cabinet clears the President’s address like a recycled ritual, reusing the same set of claims without truth or accountability,” Kharge said on Wednesday. He said the slogan of “Viksit Bharat” is repeated “loudly”, yet it carries no clear goals, no timelines and no measurable outcomes.

The PM also hailed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU), calling it a step towards an “ambitious India,” urging manufacturers to benefit from new markets that are opening for them.

“This session itself is a very important one—it is the Budget Session. A quarter of the 21st century has already passed, and the second quarter is beginning. These next 25 years are a crucial period to achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047,” Modi told reporters in his customary briefing inside the Parliament House complex.

Modi also said that the nation is coming out of long-term pending problems and working towards long-term solutions.

The time has come to find solutions and not create hurdles, he said, adding his government is not confined to just files but ensuring the last-mile delivery of welfare schemes to the people.

“Our priority is always human-centric while taking steps for all-round development of the country,” he emphasized. An India full of confidence has emerged as a ray of hope for the world, he added.

He also praised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of the Budget session, saying, “This is the first budget of the second quarter of this century. Finance Minister Nirmala ji is the country’s first woman Finance Minister who is presenting the budget in Parliament for the ninth consecutive time. This, in itself, marks a proud moment in the parliamentary history of India. The session has begun on a very positive note. Confident India today has become a beacon of hope for the world and a centre of attraction globally.”