New Delhi, Dec 17 :
Asserting that India’s democracy is deep-rooted, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the people of the country through the Constitution have given appropriate response to those who used to say that India will not become powerful economically.
Concluding the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the 75 years of adoption of the Constitution, he recalled the efforts of Sardar Patel for the unification of the country. The marathon two-day debate in Rajya Sabha lasted about 31 hours.
“The debates that happened in both Houses of the Parliament will be useful for the youth of the country… It will also help the people of the country to understand which party has honoured the Constitution and which has not…When we look back on 75 years of Constitution, I want to thank Sardar Patel as due to his tireless efforts we are standing tall and in the world as one nation,” Amit Shah said.
“In the last 75 years, there have been many nations that became independent and had new beginnings but democracy did not succeed there. But our democracy is deep-rooted. We made numerous changes without shedding a drop of blood. The people of this country have shattered the arrogance of multiple dictators and that too democratically,” he added.
Amit Shah said India is now the fifth largest economy in the world.
“The people of our country and our Constitution have given a befitting reply to those who said that we would
India’s democracy
never be able to become economically independent… Today we are the 5th largest economy… We have left Britain behind,” he said.
He targeted Congress and other opposition parties over allegations concerning electronic voting machines (EVM) and said the Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected petitions on the issue.
He said when opposition parties lose polls they start complaining about EVMs.
The two-day marathon debate in Rajya Sabha on the 75 years of the Constitution started on Monday.
The Lok Sabha held a two-day discussion last week. The winter session of Parliament will continue till December 20.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the members of the Constitution Assembly studied different Constitutions across the globe. While speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Shah, also a senior BJP leader said, “I want to thank the Chairman for allowing me to participate in this important debate.”
“After a long freedom struggle, we attained independence. After 75 years since we adopted the Constitution… I want to thank Sardar Patel, because of him, the country is unity.”
Shah further said, “Change is the truth of life and this was accepted by the Constitution Assembly. Some leaders have come and at the age of 54 call them youth.”
“The BJP ruled for 16 years – six years by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and 10 years by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress changed the Constitution 77 times. BJP also changed the Constitution. What was the difference between the two parties,” Shah said.
Shah said he would take major four Constitutional changes by both Congress and BJP. “The first Constitutional amendment was brought for Jawaharlal Nehru. On November 5, 1971, the 24th Amendment and the Parliament were given rights to curb the rights of citizens,” Shah added. He said that the 39th Constitutional Amendment crossed all the limits. “The election of Indira Gandhi was declared unconstitutional by Allahabad High Court,” Shah recalled.
Shah also took a dig at the Opposition for their loss in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls.
“Our Prime Minister says he is a Pradhan Sevak and someone says no fingers can be pointed out at the ruler,” Shah said as he lashed out at former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Shah said that the BJP government brought laws to end Triple Talaq. “We do not indulge in vote bank politics. By ending triple talaq, we helped Muslim women,” Shah said.
He also said by spreading lies and flying the Constitution, Congress garnered voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “In Lok Sabha, people did not know. In Maharashtra, they distributed copies of the Constitution and one journalist found that it was empty. People understood that they carried false Constitution and people taught them a lesson,” Shah said.
Shah also recalled the dark days of Emergency. “We respect the Constitution. The Prime Minister proposed the idea of Constitution Day, to which a Congress leader asked what is the need, we already have January 26,” Shah said.
Shah also narrated a poem by Dushyant Kumar about the Emergency, which was imposed in 1975.
