Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday strongly criticized Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for her “poor thing” remark about President Droupadi Murmu, calling it inappropriate and disrespectful. His response came hours after Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a statement condemning the comments as “unfortunate, entirely avoidable, and in poor taste.”

Following the President’s address to a joint session of Parliament marking the beginning of the Budget Session, Sonia Gandhi reportedly commented that the President appeared exhausted by the end of her speech. “The President was getting very tired by the end. She could hardly speak, poor thing,” she told reporters, with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra standing beside her. Rahul Gandhi was also heard remarking, “Boring? No comments? Repeating the same thing again and again?”

Addressing a rally in Delhi’s Dwarka, PM Modi hit out at the Congress, calling their remarks a display of arrogance. “President Droupadi Murmu addressed Parliament today, but a member of the royal family found her language boring, and another said she seemed tired. The Congress family's elitism was on full display,” he said.

Drawing a parallel with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he added, “Both Congress and AAP have a history of arrogance. While AAP acts as if they own Delhi, the Congress’s royal family insulted the country’s first tribal President with these remarks. Calling her ‘a poor thing’ is not just an insult to her but also to every tribal and underprivileged community in India.”

Earlier, Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a statement refuting Sonia Gandhi’s claims and asserting that President Murmu was not fatigued. “Nothing could be farther from the truth. The President was not tired at any point. She firmly believes that speaking for marginalized communities, women, and farmers can never be exhausting,” the statement read.

The President’s office further noted that the Congress leaders might have misunderstood the language and discourse used in Hindi. “In any case, such comments are in poor taste and completely unnecessary,” it added.

The controversy has sparked a fresh political debate, with the BJP demanding an apology from Congress, arguing that the remarks demeaned the office of the President.