Bhopal, March 31 MLAs from the opposition Congress on Tuesday criticized Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh for his address at a conference for young legislators here, accusing him of misusing the platform by praising the Modi government instead of guiding them.
They expressed disappointment with his speech, calling it a "marketing agenda" for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The two-day conference of young MLAs from three states of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (India Region 6) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan – was inaugurated on Monday, while Harivansh was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony.
During his address, Harivansh talked about the changes that have taken place in India since 2014, and how the country has taken a long time to achieve the dream of a "Developed India".
Referring to the current global situation, he said that while many countries are facing a lockdown-like situation, due to India's current political leadership being strong and implementing forward-looking policies, the situation in the country is under control.
Talking about the pre-2014 economic condition in India, he said that there was a time when world economists said the country could not grow more than two to three per cent and also dubbed it as a "Hindu growth rate".
Harivansh said that by becoming one of the world's fastest-growing economies in a democratic system, India has today proven that with right policies and determination, the country can progress rapidly.
After the conference concluded, leaders of opposition parties who attended it, criticized Harivansh over his address and accused him of playing politics.
Mahesh Parmar, Congress MLA from the Tarana assembly constituency in Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh, alleged that Harivansh used the platform to "praise" the Narendra Modi-led government, and said it should be "condemned".
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