Secularism most misused word in India, says Rajnath Singh

This is intolerance that BJP is not able to recognise the contribution of the first Prime Minister of India, said Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech following the Constitution debate on Friday, 27 November, said that there was no question of the Indian Constitution being reviewed.

The government, which is focused on pushing crucial legislation like the key reform measure the Goods and Services Tax bill, has said it is “ready to discuss all issues including that of the so-called intolerance though it falls in the domain of states”.

Modi said the spirit of the discussion was the idea of “us” and not about “you” or “me”.

Initiating debate to commemorate Indian Constitution, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said “secularism” is the most misused word in the country which affects communal harmony. He also rejected criticism that Congress governments had not done enough to perpetuate memory of Ambedkar, who is regarded as the architect of constitution. Modi said that the previous government had enabled progressive developments in the country which was undeniable.

The first hour of the two-day special sitting of the Lok Sabha on “Commitment to India’s Constitution” turned into a battle of legacy between the BJP and Congress on Thursday.

She said there were eight main committees of the constituent assembly and these were either headed by Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel or Prasad. The people who don’t play any role in the forming of the constituition are swearing by the constituition.

“This day is a tribute to all those great women & men who worked tirelessly to give India a Constitution we are very proud of”, he said in a tweet. “Consensus is more important than majority rule…in a democracy, the real strength comes when we all walk on the path towards agreement”, he added.

PM Modi praised Jawaharlal Nehru while talking about his contribution in creating India.

India, he said, was not made by “maharajas” but by common people and all the governments since independence in 1947.

Some other opposition parties, including Trinamool Congress and BJD, also raised the issue of intolerance, saying the untoward incidents witnessed in the recent past should be condemned as they send out “negative messages” and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the matter. The celebration of Constitution Day would be meaningful if wisdom dawns on selfish politicians not to use these words, the editorial opined.