New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday targeted the Congress-led UPA government for the largest power outage in the country in 2012 and said his government has worked towards ‘One Nation, One Grid’ and there is uninterrupted power supply in all parts of the country.

Speaking in Lok Sabha during the discussion on the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India’, the Prime Minister said during the previous government, “we saw India being defamed in the world through headlines”.

“Several times, there was power in one part of the country but it was not supplied. So, there was pitch dark in the other part. During the previous government, we saw India being defamed before the world through headlines. We have seen those days. That is why, with the mantra of unity and upholding the sense of the Constitution, we fulfilled One Nation One Grid. That is why, today there is uninterrupted power supply in all corners of India,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the success of Digital India has helped democratise technology.

“Era has changed. We do not want haves and haves not a situation in the digital sector. That is why, we proudly say that the reason behind Digital India success story is that we tried to democratise technology,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the 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,” he said.

“For all of us, for all citizens and all democracy-loving citizens across the world, this is a moment of great pride,” he added.

The two-day debate on 75 years of the Constitution started in Lok Sabha on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the power of ‘Nari Shakti’ in shaping the Constitution and made a strong pitch for ‘united Bharat’ in realising the country’s dreams in the twenty-first century.

Joining the two-day debate on the Constitution, commemorating the 75th year of its adoption, PM Modi said that today, the country is being recognised and celebrated across the world as the ‘Mother of Democracy’.

“Nari Shakti played a crucial role in shaping and empowering the Constitution. There were 15 women members in the Constituent Assembly, who left their stamp on the sacred book. This is a matter of pride for us,” PM Modi said.

He further said that his government has focused heavily on women empowerment.

“We have shifted focus from women-centric to women-led development. We cleared the Naari Shakti Adhiniyam Vandan to ensure active participation of women in the democracy. Today, women are breaking social barriers and making forays into every sector,” PM Modi said in the concluding address in Lok Sabha.

Making a strong pitch for ‘unity’, PM Modi called upon everyone including the Opposition parties to come together and contribute in achieving the shared dreams of the twenty-first century.

“It’s time for everyone to celebrate the unity in diversity and not get divided by some political motives,” the Prime Minister said in the Lower House.

The Prime Minister then counted several initiatives of his government and how this was focused on achieving one unified approach in making policies.

“Article 370 was a major obstacle in India’s unity and hence it was buried under the earth. Goods and Services Tax (GST) played a vital role in ensuring economic unity – one nation, one tax is taking this idea forward,” he stated.

PM Modi further said that his government strongly pushed for ‘One nation, one ration card’ to facilitate equitable treatment of every citizen across the country.

“Under One nation- one health card i.e. Ayushman Bharat card, any Indian living in any part of the country can avail the same medical benefits under the scheme. One nation, one grid initiative has driven out darkness from urban centres as well as villages,” PM Modi said.

Laying emphasis on the government’s focus on the digital economy, PM Modi said that democratising technology has ensured that the benefits of government schemes percolate down to remote locations without any discrimination.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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 spoke about the Emergency and said 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 India’s Constitution celebrated 25 years, 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.

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.

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