Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the Constitution is the core pillar of unity in the country. Terming unity in diversity a unique feature of the constitution, Prime Minister said that his government’s policies and decisions are directed towards strengthening the unity of the country.
Prime Minister was responding to the special discussion on the glorious journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India in the Lok Sabha today.
The Prime Minister said his government is committed to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) because it reflects the vision of the country’s constitution makers. He said the Constituent Assembly had held long deliberations over this and mandated that the elected government implement it. He said, NDA government is working to bring a secular UCC.
The Prime Minister highlighted the steps taken by the NDA government to bring Unity in the country through various schemes and initiatives. He said, article 370 was abrogated in Jammu and Kashmir and one nation one tax GST has been implemented in the country. He said the One Nation One Ration Card, Ayushman card, One Nation One Grid and inclusive infrastructure development have helped the people of the country. On the country’s rapid economic expansion, the Prime Minister said, India is committed to becoming a developed nation and it will become the third largest economy in coming years.
Lauding the glorious journey of the Indian constitution during the last 75 years, the Prime Minister said, this is a matter of pride for the country. He remembered the contribution made by its framers saying that Indian democracy is an inspiration for the world. Mr. Modi also pointed towards the contribution of women in framing the Constitution. He said the government is working with a focus on women led development and Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was passed by the Parliament last year.
Taking a dig at Congress, the Prime Minister said, Congress has left no stone unturned in hurting the constitution and one family ruled the nation for 55 years. He said, when the constitution was completing its 25 years, an emergency was imposed by the Congress and the constitutional rights were denied. He said, the constitution was changed 75 times in six decades of Congress regime. Mr. Modi said, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi changed the constitution to undermine the power of judiciary by disregarding the Supreme Court’s decision of 1971.
The Prime Minister heavily criticised Congress for its nefarious design to implement reservation on the basis of religion. He said that Constitution makers strongly opposed the idea of religion based reservation after holding marathon discussions on it. Mr. Modi accused Congress of being adamant to implement it for vote bank politics, despite several rulings against the religion based reservation by the Judiciary. The Prime Minister said reservation on the basis of religion is against the spirit of the Constitution.
Making a case in the favour of his Government the Prime Minister said that the amendments made in the legislation were aimed to strengthen the spirit of unity. He said, it was amended to empower women in democracy and it was done to implement the constitution in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that amendments were done to provide citizenship to the minorities in the neighbouring countries through the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Prime Minister said that the decisions by his Government has brought 50 crore disadvantaged people into the banking system and given women freedom from smoke and dust. He said 25 crore poor people have come out of poverty due to the steps taken by his government.
Prime Minister Modi proposed eleven resolutions before Parliament aimed at shaping India’s future. This includes development for all and zero tolerance for corruption.