NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that amending the Constitution for personal interests has been the tradition of the Congress party, starting with the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He was responding to a debate in the Lok Sabha on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution.
"During the 75-year journey of the Constitution, for 55 years, the country continued the legacy of wrong thoughts and poor policies of the family that ruled the nation. The Constitution was amended 75 times in six decades. Nehru sowed the seeds, which were nurtured by Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi," Modi said.
"Nehru wrote to the Chief Ministers stating that if the Constitution poses a hurdle, changes should be made to it. Although the President and the Speaker warned Nehru, he did not pay heed to them. The Congress party made it a habit to make changes to the Constitution. The OBC communities did not receive reservations until Congress lost power. Had it been the other way, many from those communities would have reached higher positions," he said.
"Indira Gandhi altered the Constitution to control the judiciary and consolidate power. By misusing the Constitution, she declared an Emergency to prevent the judiciary from declaring the election laws unconstitutional. The Constitution was torn apart when it was completing 25 years. Freedom of the Press was shut down, and democratic values were suspended. The shadow of the Emergency remains a permanent stain on Congress’s history. Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed the soul of the Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case, which upheld the rights of Muslim women," Modi added.
Centre stealing opportunities from youth
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that the opposition is fighting against the ruling party with the aim of protecting the Constitution. He compared the central government to Dronacharya, who cut off Ekalavya's thumb as a "guru dakshina," accusing the government of stealing opportunities from the youth.
He criticized the Agniveer scheme and the leakage of question papers, claiming that these actions are denying opportunities to youngsters. He also accused the government of using lathi charges to break the fingers of farmers. He further alleged that the central government was destroying small businesses by handing over Mumbai's Dharavi to the Adani Group. Gandhi also criticized the government for handing over airports, ports, and defence areas to Adani, claiming that it is harming those who work honestly in the industrial sector.