• Source:JND
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Lok Sabha on Saturday during a special discussion marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution. Reflecting on the country's ‘extraordinary’ journey since then, he lauded India's democratic values and its global influence. However, the Prime Minister also launched a sharp critique against the Congress party, accusing its leadership, including former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, of misusing and distorting the Constitution. 

The two-day debate, which began on December 13, marks the commencement of the 75th year since the adoption of the Indian Constitution. On Friday, the debate saw impassioned speeches from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. Stay tuned to India Today for all the latest updates from the ongoing discussions in Parliament.

Here are the top quotes from PM Modi's speech

1. Rajiv Gandhi dealt a big blow to the Constitution by overturning SC relief to Shah Bano and supporting extremist forces.

2. Having tasted blood, Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency by misusing the Constitution. Indira Gandhi clipped the wings of courts through Constitutional amendments to capture the judiciary.

3. Seeds sown by the first PM Nehru in changing the Constitution were followed up by Indira Gandhi who even overturned the SC decision. Nehru wrote to chief ministers that if the Constitution comes in the way it should be changed: PM Modi.

4. Today, women are at the centre of every scheme of ours and when we are celebrating 75 years of the Constitution, it is a good coincidence that a tribal woman is sitting on the post of President of India. Not only this, the number of women MPs in our House is also increasing continuously.

5. Congress's favourite word is Jumla. The entire country's biggest Jumla was 'Garibi Hatao' which was run by 4 generations of the Gandhi-Nehru family.

6. Instead of embracing the Constitution, they (Congress) sowed seeds of discord and negativity

7. One family within the Congress party has done everything possible to undermine the Constitution. I refer to this family because it governed the country for 50 years, and as a result, the nation deserves to be aware of this. The harmful practices, poor policies, and negative ideologies of this family persist to this day.

8. The Constitution was severely violated during its 25th anniversary when the Emergency was imposed in 1975. Constitutional rights were stripped away, the entire nation was turned into a prison, citizens lost their freedoms, and the media faced a harsh crackdown. This is a stain that Congress can never erase.

9. GST played a key role in strengthening India's economic unity, some credit also goes to the previous government in this regard.

10. I expected good debate on Constitution, but some decided to grieve their losses.