As Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to leaders who helped draft the Constitution of India on Friday, he targeted opposition parties, especially the Congress, in his speech in Parliament’s Central Hall.
PM Modi also pointed out that Constitution Day should have been celebrated each year after 1950, when it was adopted by the Constituent Assembly, to educate all about what went into the making of the Constitution. “But some people did not do so. This day should also be celebrated to evaluate whether what we do is right or not,” he said while addressing a Constitution Day event in Parliament.
As a delegation of the opposition parties led by the Congress boycotted the celebrations in Parliament, PM Modi said that the spirit of the Constitution is hurt when political parties lose their democratic character. “How can such parties protect our democracy?” he asked.
As many as 14 opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, skipped the Constitution Day event.
Prime Minister Modi, meanwhile, pointed out that India is heading towards a crisis. Without naming the Congress, he said that that family-ruled parties are becoming an issue for people those devoted to the constitution and those who believe in democracy.
“Party for the family, by the family and of the family,…. I don’t think I have to say anything more,” he said in Parliament.
PM Modi also said that a party does not become a family-oriented party if one or more members join it based on their merit. “But the party that is operated by one family for generations, whose regime is with that one family, is the biggest threat to a healthy democracy,” he added.
The Prime Minister said Constitution Day is a salute to Parliament, where many of the country’s political leaders brainstormed to give India its Constitution. He said, “Our Constitution is not just a collection of many articles, it is the great tradition of millennia. The unbroken stream is the modern expression of that section.”
“Our Constitution binds our diverse country. It was drafted after many hindrances and united the princely states in the country,” he added.
The Prime Minister also paid tributes to those who lost their lives in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. “Today on the anniversary of the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, I pay tribute to all brave soldiers of the country who sacrificed their lives while fighting the terrorists,” Modi said.
PM Modi asp said that Friday’s event was not of any government, any political party or any Prime Minister. Rather, it was an event to honour the dignity of the Speaker, the Constitution and that of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.