Country will be run according to Constitution as it is: Modi

He also appeared to take a jibe at actor Aamir Khan when he said Ambedkar had never thought of leaving the country despite being subjected to insult and discrimination. Answering questions raised by Congress over holding of the discussion now instead of January 26 when the Indian Republic came into being, Modi said, “26 November is a historical occasion and our intention is not to downplay the importance of January 26”.

He described Ambedkar as one of the great people of the country who helped draft such a “perfect constitution” which, after so many years, still fits the bill. He also paid tribute to the contribution of the constitution makers also stressed that the Constitution is the soul of our democracy. “Dignity of Indian and unity of India, it reflects this mantra”, Modi said.

Insisting that whatever being witnessed over the past few months was “totally against the principles” of the Constitution, she recalled Ambedkar’s warning to hit out at the ruling dispensation, as she sought to highlight the contribution of the Congress in the drafting of the Constitution and in the freedom struggle. “Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, though not present here in the programme due to his being occupied in Parliament’s Winter Session, in his message said, as follows:”Abiding by the Constitution is our commitment”.

The government will establish “fresh contact” with the Congress once the party completes its internal discussion on the three issues of “their concerns” on which they made their position clear, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after Modi met Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. “Rajnath Singh has violated the oath of office by questioning in his speech in the Lok Sabha the insertion of “secular” word in the constitution”, Naik, Goa’s lone Rajya Sabha member, said in a statement. It has also a long history going back to the early part of the twentieth century.

With his authorities underneath assault inside and out of doors Parliament over the difficulty of rising intolerance, the PM within the Lok Sabha stated that “India first” is the one faith and Constitution the one “holy ebook” for his authorities which is dedicated to working for all sections and religions. He spoke of how Ambedkar, despite a life full of deprivation and humiliation, did not become an embittered man, did not seek “vengeance” when he was given the opportunity to write the Constitution. Gandhi said Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a member of five of these committees. “You can talk about German Constitution, its dictator… but you feel ashamed to talk about (Jawaharlal) Nehru….”

“The Constitution has proved to be remarkably flexible”.

This nation is made by so many people, all the governments. It has enshrined secular values. I don’t remember if any PM said the same thing from Red Fort. I had said that all governments and PMs have contributed to the nation. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it happen to be a good lot.

Ms. Gandhi said the spirit of the Constitution was as important as its letter.

He said without Ambedkar, the constitution would have been a legal document and not a social document.