Sonia Gandhi’s “Poor Thing” Comment on President Murmu Triggers BJP Outrage

New Delhi: A remark by Congress MP Sonia Gandhi referring to President Droupadi Murmu as a “poor thing” has sparked a political controversy, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the first day of Parliament’s budget session.

While responding to President Murmu’s address during the joint sitting of Parliament, Sonia Gandhi said, “The poor lady. The president was getting very tired by the end… No, she could hardly speak, the poor thing.” She was accompanied by her children, Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, at the time.

BJP leaders wasted no time in expressing their disapproval of the comment. BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda called it “deeply disrespectful” and accused the opposition of belittling the empowerment of backward classes and women—transformations they attribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

In response, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi defended Sonia Gandhi, posting on X, “Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s empathy for Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu ji’s health cannot be digested by the men in BJP. Every person in India has respect and empathy for the President.”

The incident has quickly become a flashpoint in the ongoing political discourse, with both parties staking their claims over the issue of respect and political dignity.