Srinagar- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir was a wall standing between India’s unity. Replying to the Constitution debate in Lok Sabha during the Winter Session in the Parliament, PM Modi said that he is very sadly saying that due to selfish efforts of some people, moral beliefs of the constitution were attacked.
“Congress has constantly disrespected the Constitution, reduced the importance of the Constitution. Congress is full of many examples of this… Everyone knows about 370 but very few know about 35-A… If there is any first son of the Constitution of India, then it is the Parliament but they have strangled it too. They imposed 35-A on the country without bringing it to the Parliament… This work was done on the orders of the President and the Parliament of the country was kept in the dark …”
Attacking the Congress party for imposing the emergency in the country when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister, PM Modi said, “history won’t forget how Congress throttled the democracy.”In Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi said, “Congress tasted blood of amending Constitution, it started hunting Constitution from time to time. It tasted the blood. It kept bloodying the spirit of Constitution. In almost 6 decades, Constitution was amended 75 times. The poison that was sowed by the first PM of the country was nurtured by another Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi…””This achievement of 75 years is not ordinary, it is extraordinary. India’s Constitution has brought us here by defeating the possibilities that were expressed for India at the time when the country attained independence. For this great achievement, besides the drafters of the Constitution, I would like to respectfully bow before the crores of people of India – they lived this new system… Citizens of India deserve all the praise,” PM Modi said.
“India’s democracy, its republican past, has been very prosperous. This has been an inspiration and that is why today, India is known as the Mother of Democracy. We are not just a large democracy but also the Mother of Democracy,” he said.
Modi told the Lok Sabha that the Constituent Assembly wanted the Uniform Civil Code to be implemented in the country by an elected government and that BR Ambedkar strongly advocated UCC for all religions.
“…Uniform Civil Code – this topic was not beyond the attention of the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly discussed UCC at length and after the debate, they decided that it would be good if whichever government gets elected takes a decision on it and implements UCC in the country…” the prime minister said.
He added: “The Supreme Court has also said many times that UCC should be brought into the country… Keeping in mind the spirit of the Constitution and the makers of the Constitution, we are working with full force for a Secular Civil Code.”
A Uniform Civil Code is conceptualised as a set of laws that govern personal matters, including marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession, for all citizens regardless of their religion. It aims to replace the existing diverse personal laws that vary based on religious affiliations.
Proposes 11 Resolutions Before Parliament
Prime Minister meanwhile proposed 11 resolutions which include upholding existing reservations for marginalised sections but strongly opposing any religion-based quota.
Replying to a two-day debate in Lok Sabha on the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 Years of
the Constitution of India’, Modi said the Constituent Assembly had decided against religion-based reservations after a thorough discussion, and alleged the Congress is now promising it to appease its vote bank.
The 11 resolutions proposed by Modi towards the end of his over 110-minute speech also included a call for an end to dynastic politics, promoting meritocracy over nepotism in governance and a pledge for having zero tolerance to corruption.
The prime minister said these resolutions are aimed at shaping India’s future.
But Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav termed the 11 resolutions “hollow and fake promises.”
“Today, we heard resolution of 11 ‘jumlas’. Doubling the income of farmers was jumla, providing one crore jobs was a jumla, Agniveer scheme and GST are also a jumla,” Yadav said.
The prime minister emphasised that these resolutions should guide both citizens and the government in building a stronger and more inclusive nation.
He said that collective efforts and commitment to constitutional values were essential for national progress.
The first resolution asks every individual to perform their duties. “Be it individuals or the administration, everyone must adhere to their responsibilities,” Modi said.
The second called for inclusive development across all regions and communities, encapsulated in the philosophy of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’.
The third resolution is a pledge of zero tolerance towards corruption, underscoring the need for society to reject corrupt individuals. “There should be no social acceptance of those involved in corruption,” Modi asserted.
The prime minister’s fourth resolution was to instill pride in the country’s laws and regulations among citizens, ensuring that they reflect the nation’s aspirations.
The fifth resolution focuses on breaking free from colonial mindset and fostering pride in India’s heritage and legacy.
Modi’s sixth resolution called for an end to dynastic politics and promoting meritocracy over nepotism in governance.
The prime minister highlighted the importance of respecting the Constitution in the seventh resolution and urged that the guiding document should not be misused for political gains.
In the eighth resolution, the prime minister assured that reservations granted to marginalised communities would not be taken away and strongly opposed any attempts to introduce religion-based reservations.
The ninth resolution proposed by the prime minister envisioned India as a global example in women-led development, promoting gender equality and leadership.
The tenth resolution stressed on the mantra of national development through regional growth, emphasising the symbiotic relationship between state and national progress.
The eleventh and final resolution underscores the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’, fostering unity and national pride.
The prime minister called for collective efforts to fulfil these resolutions, aligning with the Constitution’s foundational ethos of ‘We the People’.
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