Narendra Modi says constitution 'only holy book' for his government

New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described the constitution as his governments only holy book and India first its only religion as he sought to reach out to the opposition at the beginning of the crucial winter session of parliamentThe Indian constitution is a binding force in a diverse country Modi said while wrapping up a twoday debate to mark the 125th anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar considered as the chief architect of the constitution Modi said respect for politicians has come down over the years and it was a challengeHowever he said the political class has taken several measures for selfrestraint including a ceiling on election expenses and putting a ceiling on the number of ministers in a government Modi cited a series of Sanskrit quotations including those on truth and nonviolence as Idea of India and said there was need for people to pay attention to their duties and not merely their rightsModi said no one can think of altering the constitution and if anybody does so it will amount to suicide He said if Ambedkar had not laid stress on reservation the plight of weaker sections would have been very bad Modi steered clear of any direct reference to Congress allegations concerning intolerance and praised Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for his respect towards the oppositionModi said all governments and prime ministers have contributed to the countrys progress Referring to the governments decision to observe November 26 as Constitution Day to mark the adoption of a draft statute on this day in 1949 he said every generation should learn about the constitution and suggested holding online and essay competitionsHe said there cannot be enough praise for the constitution Dignity of Indian and unity of India it reflects this mantra Modi said Referring to Indias diversity he said India was a land of 12 religions 122 languages originating from different sources and over 1600 dialectsMaking law for diverse country like India was a big task How hard they members of constituent assembly would have worked he said adding that governments these days find it difficult to make one law perfectly and have to often go for rectificationsHe said political leaders of all shades quote Ambedkar to buttress their arguments This shows his vision His words are useful for every generation every section every period of time He quoted scholar Granville Austins words that the Indian constitution was a social document He said without Ambedkar the constitution would have been a legal document and not a social documentHow much atrocities and insults he faced in his life If it was an ordinary individual he would have been bitter But he showed greatness with no feeling of revenge He attempted to connect everyone The constitution is like nectar Modi quoted Ambedkar emphasising on constitutional methods for achieving social and economic objectives and unconstitutional methods leading to anarchyHe said Ambedkar had also stated that the purpose of the constitution was also to limit the authority of organs of the state He referred to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and repeated her quotation of Ambedkar that however good a constitution if those who implement it are bad it will turn out to be badModi said preserving the sanctity of the constitution was the duty of all elected representatives Democracy gets strengthened more when there is agreement The way should be of agreement Majority minority is the last option he said Referred to the Vajpayee government losing the trust vote by one vote Modi said it accepted heights of democracyHe said Indian society has an autopilot arrangement and reformers were born from time to time to rid society of its evils He also referred to the work of Ambedkar in fixing working hours for labourers Modi said a government has only one religion India first it has only one holy book constitution of IndiaHe 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 said the spirit of the parliamentary discussion was about us and not about you or me Modi also praised Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for her speech at the start of the debate on Thursday