Amit Shah said India’s Constitution was adopted following a democratic process, after taking feedback from the people, and no one has distorted it the way the Congress has.

Here Are His Top Quotes:

The special two-day Lok Sabha debate on the Constitution, necessitated by the Opposition’s campaign that the Constitution is under threat—their key campaign theme during the Lok Sabha elections—saw government benches highlighting the lapses of past Congress regimes. Leaders of the ruling coalition also used the opportunity to underscore the achievements of the Narendra Modi government. There were enough hints about the need to have a Uniform Civil Code. Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to it as the ‘Secular Civil Code’ during his reply to the debate. Legislation that does not distinguish between citizens in civil laws may be the next major reform under Modi’s leadership.

Spotlight On Priyanka

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her mark in a grand style on Friday, December 13, as the first speaker for the Opposition in the two-day debate. Never before has a first-term MP anywhere in the democratic world been entrusted with opening a debate on behalf of the Opposition. Of course, her ‘entitled’ status as a member of the Congress First Family played a role in securing her this opportunity, which she used judiciously.

There was no frivolity in her address. She provoked just enough without triggering chaos, criticising the ruling party and defending her own party’s track record. She questioned why the Prime Minister was not present in the House when the debate to take stock of the Constitution on its 75th anniversary was initiated.

Priyanka’s measured tone and delivery would be the envy of any seasoned parliamentarian. While ultra-critical of the government, her speech did not provoke filibustering or chaos from the treasury benches, a refreshing departure from the usual interruptions and disruptions over the past decade.
The tone set by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh when initiating the debate for the government and Priyanka’s reply endured throughout the two-day discourse. Both echoed their respective standpoints. There were many flashpoints when both sides called a spade a spade, yet the proceedings remained orderly without any walkouts or suspension.

Priyanka did not stray from the party line. Her speech featured a fair sprinkling of Adani-Ambani diatribe, and a leftward orientation of Congress’s view on the economy was evident.

She did, however, make some faux pas. Perhaps Congress lacks the in-house infrastructure to brief its MPs, unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) well-supported back-room teams. In her tribute to the founders, she mentioned Maulana Azad, C. Rajagopalachari, and Jawaharlal Nehru. There was no mention of Dr Rajendra Prasad, the President of the Constituent Assembly, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

As the author of the slogan ‘Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon‘ (I’m a woman and I can fight), one would have expected Priyanka to invoke the names of the women of the Constituent Assembly who played a significant role in drafting the Constitution. She failed on this score. Trinamool’s Mohua Moitra, on the other hand, not only acknowledged these women but also paid tribute to Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister.

Priyanka also stated that public sector undertakings like HAL, SAIL, BHEL, GAIL, ONGC, and the Railways were Nehru’s legacies. While Indian Railways and HAL predate India’s Independence, PSUs like SAIL, GAIL, BHEL and ONGC came into being during the Nehru and Indira Gandhi eras.

Learning From Grandfather

If Priyanka wishes to carve out a lasting niche as a parliamentarian, she should seek to emulate the research and etiquette of her grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, and avoid being overshadowed by the abrasive influence of Rahul Gandhi.

While Priyanka was speaking, her speech suddenly disappeared from national TV screens. No, it was not an act by the BJP. The Congress regime in Telangana, led by Revanth Reddy, had decided to arrest film star Allu Arjun in a case that may qualify as a civil rights violation. TV channels found Allu Arjun’s arrest to be of greater news value.

While this was happening in Hyderabad in the South, the media in Himachal Pradesh was abuzz with video footage of a dinner attended by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, where ‘junglee murga‘ (wild fowl), a protected species, had been served. Not the best of conducts from the heads of two Congress-led governments while the Lok Sabha was discussing the Constitution.

Priyanka’s criticism of Himachal’s policy on apple procurement also indicated that her advisors had perhaps forgotten that Shimla has a Congress government. Was she being critical of her own party’s regime?

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi’s unorthodox behaviour persists. While he displayed his palm in the ‘Abhay Mudra’ during the inaugural session in July, during the Constitution debate, he repeatedly showed a reversed palm, with the thumb suppressed, giving the impression that it had been amputated—like Mahabharata’s Eklavya, whom he invoked.

Rahul assumed that Eklavya was a member of the disadvantaged group. But, a Nishad, he was the son of the commander-in-chief of the powerful ruler Parasnath’s army and himself an army commander, thus not by any measure a ‘Dalit’. This was pointed out by BJP members. Apart from his usual tirade against Adani and Modi, he also attacked Veer Savarkar. Shiv Sena member Srikant Shinde chided him over his stance on Savarkar, reading out a tribute signed by Indira Gandhi during the Savarkar centenary and pointing out that a postage stamp was dedicated to him by the Indira government during the celebration.

Anurag Thakur’s Rebuttal

A strong rebuttal to Rahul’s stance on the Constitution came from the BJP’s Anurag Thakur, who stood up with a copy of the red-coloured pocket-sized Constitution of India—an edition that Congress leaders, inspired by Rahul, often wave and display. The sale of this version of the Constitution, published by a Lucknow-based publisher, has skyrocketed since Rahul started carrying it in his pocket and displaying it at public meetings. Congress members kept copies of the ‘Red Book’ while taking the oath as MPs.

Thakur cited texts from the preface of the Lucknow publication which says that the Constitution was drafted by the finest minds of the time, who were “thankfully not directed by the confused Nehruvian social policy that guided successive regimes”. The preface also states, “Were it not for the strength of this document, Indira Gandhi would not have been compelled to end the darkest episode in the saga of India by ending the Emergency”.

Priyanka listened to the criticism attentively. However, Speaker Om Birla had to chide the LoP, who had walked in nearly half an hour after the Prime Minister had begun his reply, not to keep looking at his mobile phone and chatting with his colleagues while the Leader of the House was speaking.

The Congress found itself isolated in its attacks on the government. Its allies did not share Rahul’s agenda. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) MP Amul Kolhe, speaking alongside Supriya Sule, emphasised the need to raise “basic issues” instead of “sloganeering”.

The Congress party necessitated the debate, but the BJP carried the day. It gave the BJP an opportunity to criticise past Congress regimes for their lapses, which the Congress could neither defend nor explain. 

(Shubhabrata Bhattacharya is a retired editor and a public affairs commentator)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

New Delhi:

Concluding a lengthy reply to the debate commemorating 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the opportunity to lay down 11 resolutions before the Lok Sabha which, he said, could help the country achieve its goal of becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) by 2047. 

In the nearly two-hour speech, PM Modi laid down his government’s achievements, praised the people of India for upholding Constitutional values and attacked the Nehru-Gandhi family for undermining the Constitution across generations. He said a developed India is the dream of all 140 crore citizens of India and results are guaranteed when a nation moves ahead with determination.

“I have immense faith in my fellow citizens, their capabilities, the youth, and the Nari Shakti (women power) of Bharat. Let’s resolve that when India celebrates 100 years of her independence in 2047, she will be celebrated and treasured as a developed India,” he said.

Listing out his resolutions, he said he had spoken about the importance of not just citizens’ rights, but duties as well during an Independence Day speech from the Red Fort. He pointed out that people who did not understand anything about the Constitution criticised him for it, but emphasised that carrying out duties will be key to India’s progress. 

Among the other resolutions were ensuring inclusive development, having zero tolerance for corruption, freeing India from a mentality of slavery and freeing the country’s politics from nepotism. 

Here are the 11 resolutions proposed by the Prime Minister:

1. Be it a citizen or the government, everyone should perform their duties.
2. Every region and every community should get the benefit of development, everyone should develop together. There should be ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. 
3. There should be zero tolerance towards corruption and no social acceptance for people who are corrupt
4. Citizens should feel a sense of pride in following the laws, rules and traditions of the country 
5. India should free itself from a mentality of slavery and there should be pride in the heritage of the country.
6. The country’s politics should be free from nepotism.
7. The Constitution should be respected; it should not be used as a weapon for political gain.
8. The spirit of the Constitution should be respected and reservation should not be snatched away from those who are getting it. Every attempt to provide reservation on the basis of religion should be stopped.
9. India should become an example for the world in women-led development.
10. Development of the nation through development of states… this should be our development mantra.
11. The aim of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ (One Bharat, a Bharat that excels) should be paramount. 

“I wish everyone the best for the task of achieving a developed India,” the PM said. 

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a huge attack on the Congress party during the parliament debate on the Constitution.

He said former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru misused the Constitution.

“Once they tasted blood, they wanted to do it again and again,” PM Modi said, alluding to the Emergency and the Shah Bano case.

“The current generation of the Gandhi family is taking forward the legacy of attacking the Constitution after tasting blood long back,” PM Modi said, drawing loud protest from Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha.

“The Congress did not follow its own constitution, and made Nehru the leader when state units had supported Sardar Patel,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi said former prime minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi also did not believe in the Constitution. “Even Indira Gandhi’s election was declared null and void. Then she invoked Emergency in rage to save her chair. She misused the Constitution,” he said.

“It was a time of injustice. Hundreds of people were thrown into jails. The insensitive government did not listen to people,” PM Modi said.

He said her son Rajiv Gandhi destroyed the Supreme Court victory of Shah Bano for the sake of vote bank.

“Instead of helping a woman who was fighting for justice, he supported bad people. Nehru ji started it, Indira ji took it forward, then Rajiv Gandhi also got a taste. The next generation will be the same,” PM Modi said.

He also attacked the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the then UPA government, which PM Modi said comprised unelected members advising the Prime Minister.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched an attack on the Congress for imposing Emergency when the party was about to lose politically. Replying to the debate on the Constitution in parliament, PM Modi said the Congress “will never be able to erase the taint of Emergency.”

“I expected a good debate on the Constitution, but some decided to grieve their losses,” PM Modi said in a swipe at the Opposition.

“We are completing 75 years of the Constitution. If we look back, when India’s Constitution completed 25 years, it was snatched using Emergency and India was turned into a prison and the rights of citizens were snatched. The Congress can’t wipe off this sin. Whenever a discussion on the Constitution takes place, we will always talk about the Emergency,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi said former prime minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi did not believe in the Constitution.

“Even Indira Gandhi’s election was declared null and void. Then she invoked Emergency in rage to save her chair. She misused the Constitution,” he said.

“It was a time of injustice. Hundreds of people were thrown into jails. The insensitive government did not listen to people,” PM Modi said.

He said her son Rajiv Gandhi destroyed the Supreme Court victory of Shah Bano for the sake of vote bank.

“Instead of helping a woman who was fighting for justice, he supported bad people. Nehru ji started it, Indira ji took it forward, then Rajiv Gandhi also got a taste. The next generation will be the same,” PM Modi said.

He also attacked the National Advisory Council of the then UPA government, which PM Modi said comprised unelected members advising the Prime Minister.

New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today launched a critique of the BJP-led government during a debate in the Lok Sabha commemorating 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution. 

During his speech, Mr Gandhi drew a contrast between the  Constitution and the Manusmriti, a religious book, invoking the writings of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar. 

“‘The worst thing about the Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian about it. Manusmriti is that scripture which is most worshippable after Vedas for our Hindu nation and from which our ancient times have become the basis for our culture, customs, thought and practice. This book, for centuries, has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Today, Manusmiriti is law’. These are the words of Savarkar…Savarkar has clearly stated in his writings that there is nothing Indian about our Constitution. He has clearly stated that the book India is run by should be superseded by this book. This is what the fight is about,” Mr Gandhi said, with a copy of the Constitution in his right hand and the Manusmriti in his left. 

The Congress leader claimed that BJP leaders, by praising the Constitution, are insulting the memory of Savarkar. 

“I want to ask you (ruling side), do you stand by your leader’s words? Do you support your leader’s words? Because when you speak in Parliament about protecting the Constitution, you are ridiculing Savarkar, you are abusing Savarkar, you are defaming Savarkar,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of selective appropriation of constitutional values while ignoring its own historical contradictions. Mr Rijiju opened today’s session with a rebuttal, criticising the Congress for its treatment of Dr BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution.

Mr Rijiju alleged that the party marginalised Dr Ambedkar and recognised his contributions very late. The Union Minister, citing a document, talked about Dr Ambedkar’s critique of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, alleging that Nehru’s focus was primarily on appeasement politics rather than addressing the concerns of Scheduled Castes.

While Mr Gandhi attacked Savarkar, his sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, delivering her maiden speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday, hit out at the RSS by accusing the BJP of confusing between ‘Bharat ka Samvidhan’ and ‘Sangh ka Vidhan’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to deliver the closing remarks in the ongoing two-day debate on the Constitution.

New Delhi:

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the opposition’s fightback – to a soundtrack of cheers and jeers – Friday on Day 1 of the Lok Sabha’s big debate, red-flagging a range of issues from the 2017 Unnao rape and last month’s violence in Sambhal, to sharp attacks on the BJP’s ‘plan’ to re-write the Constitution and making a strong pitch for a national caste census, which has been a core demand of the opposition.

The Congress MP, who also slammed the BJP over the use of federal agencies to “censor” rivals – an allegation often levelled by the opposition, particularly before polls, and tossed in the ‘washing machine’ jibe – delivered her maiden speech in response to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s opening remarks.

“A few days ago, some people from the bereaved families of Sambhal came to meet us… there were two children among them – Adnan and Uzair. One was my son’s age (Raihan Vadra is 24) and the other was around 17. Their father was a tailor who had one dream… to see his sons educated.”

“The police shot their father dead… Adnan told me he would grow up to be a doctor and realise his father’s dream… a dream instilled in him by the Constitution of India,” Ms Gandhi Vadra began.

“Our Constitution is our lighthouse, our ‘suraksha kavach‘ (armour providing safety) … it keeps citizens safe. But it is sad that in 10 years colleagues from the ruling side (referring to the BJP), who make tall claims, have made attempts to break down this ‘kavach’,” she said in a slow and deliberate speech.

“Work to break this ‘kavach‘ has already begun,” Ms Gandhi Vadra warned the Lower House, echoing warnings by Congress leaders, led by her brother Rahul Gandhi, and other opposition MPs- that the BJP, emboldened by a third consecutive term, will alter the Constitution at a basic level.

Ms Gandhi Vadra’s attacks included underlining the opposition’s demand for a caste census.

“… acaste census is the need of the hour but they trivialise it by discussing things like mangalsutras,” she said referring to the row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment this year, before the April-May federal election, about the Congress robbing people of their wealth to give to “infiltrators”.

READ | On PM’s Mangalsutra Remark, PGV Points To Mother, Grandmother

“He (the Prime Minister) says the Congress wants to take away your gold.. your mangalsutra. The country has been independent for 70 years… the Congress ruled for 55. Did anyone rob you of your gold or mangalsutra? Indira Gandhi gave her gold… my mother sacrificed her mangalsutra…”

“Today people demand a Caste Census. A colleague from the ruling side (Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, whose Republican Party of India (A) is a BJP ally) also mentioned this. A caste census is essential so we know the condition of everyone and policies can be made accordingly,” she said.

“Today people demand a Caste Census to understand the nation’s reality… but the government evades responsibility, often citing events from 1929 or questioning (former Prime Minister Jawaharlal) Nehru’s actions. What is your responsibility?” she asked to rousing cheers from the Congress MPs.

New Delhi:
The Lok Sabha will hold a two-day debate from noon today to mark 75 years of the Constitution. This is assuming a House torn by a BJP-Congress war – over alleged Sonia Gandhi-George Soros links and the US’ Adani indictment – functions normally.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story: