Democracy doesn't come from Constitution, it's been our soul for decades: Highlights from PM Modi's speech in Lok Sabha

PM Modi also jibed saying, "I want to tell them- this is not the Emergency where Governments jailed people as they felt like. These decisions are taken by the Courts. Courts will decide on jail and bail."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a jibe at late prime minister Indira Gandhi for imposing emergency in 1975, saying that the soul of India was crushed on the night of June 25, 1975, as the party wanted to remain in power. "On the night of June 25, 1975, the soul of the country was crushed. In India, democracy does not come into existence from the pages of the Constitution; it has been our soul for decades. That soul was crushed just because they wanted to remain in power," he said replying to the 'Motion Of Thanks on President Ram Nath Kovind's address in the Lok Sabha.

He also jibed saying, "Some members asked- why is Person A not in jail or Person B not in jail. I want to tell them- this is not the Emergency where Governments jailed people as they felt like. These decisions are taken by the Courts. Courts will decide on jail and bail."

PM Modi also accused the Congress of never appreciating or acknowledging the work of former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narasimha Rao or Manmohan Singh. "Did those in power from 2004 to 2014 ever talk about the good work of Atal JI? Did they ever speak about the good work of Narasimha Rao Ji? In this Lok Sabha debate the same people did not even speak of Manmohan Singh Ji," said the PM.

The PM said that for him the Lok Sabha election is an opportunity to serve 130 crore Indians and do work that has made a positive difference in the lives of the people.

Here are the highlights from PM Modi's speech:

* Today, when we talk about water resources, I remember Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. It was Babasaheb who worked diligently on waterways and irrigation. Sardar Sarovar Dam was the brainchild of Sardar Patel. But, work on this dam kept getting delayed. As Chief Minister of Gujarat, I had to embark on a fast for this project. After NDA took office, the pace of work increased significantly and it is benefiting many people.

* Promoting tourism and improving tourism infrastructure augurs well for economic prosperity. There is so much about India that the world wants to see.

* Our fight against corruption will continue with full honesty and earnestness, without any vindictiveness. Our job is to pursue cases fairly, to punish the guilty or granting them bail is the job of the judiciary. We follow the rule of law. Some members asked- why is Person A not in jail or Person B not in jail. I want to tell them- this is not the Emergency where Governments jailed people as they felt like. These decisions are taken by the Courts. Courts will decide on jail and bail

* Congress has missed two opportunities on the issue of women empowerment. They first missed in 1950s when Uniform Civil Code was being debated and then after 35 years when Shah Bano case came up. Now is the third chance when they can support Triple Talaq Bill. There are reports that a Congress minister had said at the time when Shah Bano case was being debated in the country that `upliftment of Muslims is not the responsibility of the Congress, if they want to lie in gutter, let them be'.

* Today is June 25. On the night of June 25, 1975, the soul of the country was crushed. That soul was crushed just because they wanted to remain in power. Who imposed the Emergency? Who trampled over the spirit of the Constitution, gagged the media and bullied the judiciary? We can't forget those dark days. In India, democracy does not come into existence from the pages of the Constitution; it has been our soul for decades. 

* Did those in power from 2004 to 2014 ever talk about the good work of Atal JI? Did they ever speak about the good work of Narasimha Rao Ji? In this Lok Sabha debate the same people did not even speak of Manmohan Singh Ji

* We honoured Pranab Mukherjee with the Bharat Ratna irrespective of the fact to which party he belonged.

* We don't believe in cutting our opponents down to size. We do not even compete with them who seem to fly so high that they are cut off the realities on the ground. Our motto is to remain rooted to the ground realities and work for the betterment of the people.

* We did not divert from our development path, we did not dilute our development agenda. It is important that the country progresses, every Indian is empowered and our nation has modern infrastructure. We believe in public welfare and modern infrastructure

* The people of India have elected a stable Government. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections show that more than themselves, the people of India are thinking about the good of the nation. This spirit is wonderful. I do not think about elections in terms of who won and who lost. For me, what is satisfying is the opportunity to serve 130 crore Indians and do work that has made a positive difference in the lives of our citizens.