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Launching a no-holds-barred attack on the Congress, PM Narendra Modi said on Saturday that while the makers of the Constitution understood the importance of unity in diversity and championed it, some people chose not to celebrate it and began sowing seeds of poison instead.
Giving his reply to the debate commemorating 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the Prime Minister also brought up the Emergency and asserted that the period is a taint on the Congress, which will never be washed away. He said Jawaharlal Nehru amended the Constitution for the first time in 1951 and his daughter Indira Gandhi took this forward with her amendments and the imposition of the Emergency when she was in power.
The Congress, he said, amended the Constitution 75 times in six decades.
Beginning his speech, PM Modi said India's journey since the adoption of the Constitution in 1948 has been "extraordinary" and emphasised that the country has deep roots in democracy, which have been an inspiration for the world.
Recalling the contributions of women and luminaries like BR Ambedkar, Purushottam Das Tandon and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in the making of the Constitution, the PM said several countries took decades to give women their rights, but India's Constitution gave them the right to vote from the beginning.
"Our Constitution is the foundation of India's unity...The makers of the foundation, who were from various spheres, knew the importance of unity in India's diversity. It is with pain that I am saying this... while the makers of the Constitution had unity in their hearts and minds, some people attacked it. India always celebrated unity in diversity, which is essential for the country's progress, but some people, who grew up in a mindset of slavery, who couldn't see what's best for India... kept looking for contradictions in diversity and, instead of celebrating this treasure, tried to sow seeds of poison in the diversity so that India's unity could be hurt," he said in Hindi.
Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said, was a hurdle to India's unity and his government ensured that it fulfilled its promise and removed it.
'Congress Can't Wipe Off Taint'
The PM said at a time when 25 years of the Constitution were being celebrated, there was a big attack on it in the form of the Emergency.
"When India was celebrating 25 years of its Constitution, our country's Constitution was torn apart... Emergency was imposed, constitutional provisions were suspended. The country was turned into a prison, citizens' rights were snatched, and press freedom was curtailed. The Congress can't wipe off this sin. Whenever democracy will be discussed in the world, this sin of the Congress will be remembered," he said.
Insisting that the Nehru-Gandhi family had made it a habit to disregard the Constitution, PM Modi said there were ups and downs and he appreciated the people of India for always standing by the fundamental document.
"The Constitution allowed me to become chief minister. It was the spirit of the Constitution that allowed people like me to reach here," he said.
Changing Constitution
PM Modi said the seeds of amending the Constitution were sown by Jawaharlal Nehru, who wrote to chief ministers that it should be changed if it came in the way.
"From 1947 to 1952, there was no elected government in India. In 1951, when there was no elected government, they came with an ordinance that attacked the fundamental rights of people and amended the Constitution, insulting its makers," he said.
"Congress attacked the Constitution through so many amendments and even destroyed the spirit of the document. In six decades, they amended the document at least 75 times. The seeds were sown by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi gave water to them and and nurtured them. In 1975, she overturned the Supreme Court decision through a Constitution amendment," he added.
The Prime Minister said Indira Gandhi misused the Constitution to save her chair and imposed the Emergency in a rage. Taking a dig at Congress' allies in the INDIA bloc, he said the heads of some of the parties were also imprisoned during the Emergency, but they are now aligned with the same organisation.
'Tasted Blood'
Indira Gandhi's son, Rajiv Gandhi, the PM said, disrespected the Supreme Court and the Constitution by overturning the Shah Bano verdict in which it was held that Muslim women are entitled to maintenance from their husbands after divorce.
"It was started by Nehru, Indira Gandhi took it forward and so did Rajiv Gandhi. The next generation is doing the same thing... The current generation of the Gandhi family is taking forward the legacy of attacking the Constitution after tasting blood long ago," he sneered.
Attacking Sonia Gandhi, PM Modi said an unelected person was placed above then PM Manmohan Singh using the National Advisory Council and the next generation, Rahul Gandhi, tore an ordinance passed by Mr Singh's cabinet in front of the media.
"I am just telling you what happened to the Constitution," the PM said.
Inclusive policies
Listing the achievements of his government, which is now in its third term, PM Modi said all of its policies are geared towards ensuring that people who are starved of resources and ignored get attention. "Jinhe koi nahin poochta, unhe Modi poojta hai... 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is not just a slogan, but an article of faith for us. We will ensure benefits reach everyone," he asserted.
The Prime Minister also laid down 11 proposals before the House, among which were ensuring that reservation is not snatched away from those who are getting it and making sure that every attempt to provide reservation on the basis of religion is foiled. He also said every region and community should develop together, the country's politics should be free of nepotism, and every citizen and government should perform their duties.