President's address just a repetition of government's past achievements: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Feb 3 said the address of the President to the two Houses was similar to the one made last year, and claimed that it was the same "laundry list" of things the government has done.

Participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address on Jan 31, Gandhi said successive governments, be it the UPA or the present NDA, have not been able to tackle unemployment and give a clear-cut answer to youth about employment.

He also said 'Make in India' was a good idea, but the prime minister "pretty much failed".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House.

Gandhi claimed the reason China is sitting inside this country is because 'Make in India' has failed and India is refusing to produce. "I am worried that India is going to give up this revolution to the Chinese once again," he said.

While talking of the Congress' vision of a president's address, Gandhi said we would not send our foreign minister to the United States to get our prime minister invited to the US President's 'coronation'.

Hitting back, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asked Gandhi to substantiate his claims on the government's foreign policy.

"You cannot make such unsubstantiated claims," he said.

"I heard the President's address. I must say I struggled through the President's address to maintain my attention on what was being said, because I've heard pretty much the same address before — it's the same list of things that the government has done," he said in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi said he is being critical about what is being said, and this is not the type of President's address he expected.

The former Congress president also said as a country, India has failed in organizing production and has handed it over to the Chinese.

He also said India has to focus completely on production and claimed social tension is on the rise in the country.

Gandhi was of the view that four technologies are driving change in mobility — electric motors, batteries, optics and application of artificial intelligence (AI).

(PTI)