|
|
Modi praises Nehru, previous govts in Ambedkar debate
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
|
|
|
|
SME Times News Bureau | 28 Nov, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Friday lavished praise on Jawaharlal Nehru and hailed all previous
governments as he struck a conciliatory note after two days of debate on
B.R. Ambedkar that saw sparks fly between the opposition and treasury
benches.
Ending two days of discussions in parliament on the
125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, widely seen as the architect of the
constitution, Modi reached out to the opposition while underlining the
diverse nature of the country.
Once the debate ended, Modi -- for
the first time since taking office in May 2014 -- invited and met both
his predecessor Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at
his house and discussed the contentious GST.
A second meeting is expected after the Congress holds discussions within on the Goods and Services Tax.
In parliament, Modi made it clear that all governments had contributed in building India.
"No
one can say that the earlier governments have not done anything for
this country," Modi said, looking at opposition MPs. "I am not saying
this today. I have said this from the Red Fort."
And in a rare
gesture, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader praised Nehru, India's
first prime minister, for his role in the constituent assembly and for
his ability to concede other points of view.
He cited an
incident when socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia quoted statistics to
tell Nehru that his government's policy was wrong.
"Nehru said I cannot refute your statistics," Modi went on. "He (Nehru)showed greatness."
The
prime minister's tribute to Nehru was in contrast to the earlier
sparring between Congress and BJP leaders over the legacy of Nehru and
Ambedkar.
Modi lauded the role Ambedkar played in framing the
Indian constitution without any bias although he suffering indignities
because he was a Dalit.
"It was a tribute to Ambedkar's
personality that he bore all humiliation but there was no sense of
revenge in him; the no sense of revenge is reflected in the
constitution.
"To frame the constitution of a country like India, it is not easy."
But
Modi quickly pointed out that other leaders too played a key role in
framing the constitution, which he described as "a binding force in a
diverse country".
And the spirit of the parliamentary discussion today was about "us" and not about "you" or "me".
Earlier, the Congress and the BJP sparred in the Rajya Sabha.
Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley referred to the subversion of the constitution by
Hitler, making a not-so-subtle link to the imposition of Emergency by
Indira Gandhi in 1975.
"Fundamental rights were snatched during
the Emergency," he said, and pointed out that "you imposed Emergency,
detained opposition leaders, censored newspapers".
Congress
leader Ghulam Nabi Azad accused the Modi government of "manufacturing"
intolerance, and said it was trying to "re-write history" by not
crediting Nehru for the constitution's preamble.
"We didn't speak
about Pandit Nehru even once. How is it possible that we are discussing
the objectives of the constitution and we don't mention Nehru.
"Nehru,
Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel are being pitted
against each other even though they aren't alive. This is what is called
intolerance.
"The atmosphere in the country in the last one-and-a-half years is against the constitution of India."
Jaitley interrupted Azad by asking: "Why do you have so much grudge against Ambedkar?"
The
Congress leader retorted: "You can talk about Hitler, and we cannot
even talk about our first prime minister? This is intolerance."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customs Exchange Rates |
Currency |
Import |
Export |
US Dollar
|
66.20
|
64.50 |
UK Pound
|
87.50
|
84.65 |
Euro
|
78.25
|
75.65 |
Japanese
Yen |
58.85 |
56.85 |
As on 13 Aug, 2022 |
|
|
Daily Poll |
|
|
PM Modi's recent US visit to redefine India-US bilateral relations |
|
|
|
|
|
Commented Stories |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|