NEW DELHI: The Constitution is not the product of a "particular party", Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday, asserting that the document was neither a gift of colonial rule nor a compilation of good things borrowed from the constitutions of Western countries, but an expression of the country's "civilisational values."
Speaking in the Lok Sabha to open the debate marking 75 years of the Constitution, Singh took a sharp dig at the Congress and said Opposition leaders were roaming around with copies of the Constitution in their pockets.
"Today many leaders of the Opposition roam around with the copies of the Constitution in their pockets. Inhone bachpan se yahi dekha hai (this is what they have learnt from their childhood)... For generations they have seen their family members keep the Constitution in their pockets," Singh said.
He was taking a potshot at Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, and other Congress leaders carrying copies of the Constitution while on campaign trails.
Attacking the Congress for disrespecting the Constitution, he said the 41st Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced in 1976, the purpose of which was to provide immunity from criminal prosecution to the Prime Minister, governors and the President for all acts done before assuming office and during their tenure.
"The 38th Constitutional Amendment tried to make the decision to impose emergency 'non-justiciable'. The Election Law Amendment Bill was brought, with the sole objective of giving immunity to all those electoral malpractices that challenged the election of Mrs Indira Gandhi," he said.
The Union minister said the Constitution was the result of nearly three years of rigorous debate and deliberation and was not merely a legal document but a reflection of the aspirations of the people, and also a means to fulfil them.
This story is from the December 14, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Mumbai.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 14, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Mumbai.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
No matter what I do, my son will always be my priority: Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza has been jetsetting since her appointment as an ambassador for Dubai's Sports Council in December. But her busy year didn't keep her from ringing in 2025 with her \"forever date\", her six-year-old son Izhaan Mirza Malik.
Love lockdown: OYO's new rule for unmarried couples sparks mixed reactions
On Sunday, the hotel booking platform OYO introduced a new policy that prohibits unmarried couples from checking into its partner hotels in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Tough questions for India after two debacles in a row
A second series loss raises more questions than answers as head coach's performance comes under the lens
Gambhir, Sharma face BCCI scrutiny
India have lost six of their last eight Tests; they were saved by the weather in Brisbane while the Perth Test win was the only bright spot.
Fan, Ma Long out of tour events over row with WTT
These are somewhat turbulent times in world table tennis.
How far are our leagues from introducing VAR?
Could take up to 18 months to implement it, says Trevor Kettle, federation's chief refereeing officer
NCLAT to hear Meta's plea against ₹213 cr fine on Jan 16
META ASKED NCLAT TO HEAR THE CASE URGENTLY, NOTING ITS IMPLICATIONS AND THE STAKES INVOLVED
India Eyes Private Capital For $107 Billion Grid Expansion
India is asking states to attract more private capital to accelerate the expansion of its power transmission network, part of a plan to revamp the country's grid and accommodate more clean power.
SC transfers CCI's e-commerce probe cases to K'taka HC
The Supreme Court on Monday centralised all petitions challenging the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) anti-trust probe against e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart to the Karnataka high court, while also urging the high court to decide the matter expeditiously.
Services activity rises to 4-month high in Dec
Growth in India's services activity, as measured by the Services Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI), rose to a four-month high of 59.3 in December, up from 58.4 in November, according to a release from S&P Global on Monday.
