Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Absent During PM Modi's Independence Day Address, Sends Recorded Message Instead

One of the seats at the historic Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning (15 August) delivered his address to the nation on its 77th Independence Day, remained empty.

The vacant chair carried Mallikarjun Kharge's name.

The Congress explained his absence, stating that he was "not feeling well," reported NDTV.

Choosing to share a recorded video on X (formerly Twitter), Kharge used the digital medium to send his wishes and congratulations for the Independence Day to all citizens.

Furthermore, he highlighted the individual contributions of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as other Congress prime ministers like Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh.

Kharge also acknowledged the role of BJP icon Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"Along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, all prime ministers always thought about the nation and took many steps for its development," the Congress chief said, remarking that some people today hold the wrong view that India has seen progress only in the past few years.

Kharge also spent a considerable portion of the video criticising the Narendra Modi government.