Union Minister Smriti Irani has criticized the Congress party for its absence at the flag hoisting ceremony at the new Parliament building. She accused the party of not being proud of the national flag and suggested that the reason for this lack of pride lies with the Gandhi family.
Smriti Irani expressed her views during a statement regarding the flag hoisting ceremony held at the new Parliament building. She emphasized the significance of the occasion, calling the nation’s Parliament a source of pride for the country. She highlighted that the national flag, which is hoisted on such occasions, represents the sacrifices made by numerous individuals and soldiers. Irani further added that as citizens, the opportunity to hoist the national flag at the Parliament should be a matter of great pride for all.
Addressing the absence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the ceremony, Irani stated that the answer to why the Congress party does not experience that pride lies with the Gandhi family, not with her.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had informed the Rajya Sabha general secretary through a letter that he would not be able to attend the flag hoisting ceremony because he would be in Hyderabad on September 16 and 17 for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. However, other Congress leaders, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, attended the ceremony.
The flag hoisting ceremony at the new Parliament building took place a day before the special session of Parliament and was attended by several prominent leaders, including Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, among others.
In response to criticism about Kharge and Rahul Gandhi’s absence, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury defended their non-attendance and asked whether his presence was not sufficient. He stated that people should focus on those who were present at the event.
Earlier, the Congress and other opposition parties had boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament building, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had insulted the President by inaugurating it himself.
