In PM Modi's Constitution Day speech, a dig at family ruled parties, colonial mindset- Key points

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (November 26, 2021) addressed the nation on the occasion of the Indian Constitution Day.

Paying tribute to the makers of the world largest constitution, PM Modi in an apparent dig at Congress, targeted family-ruled parties and other elements of the society that pose threat to the freedom and sanctity of the constitution.

Here are the highlights from PM Modi’s Constitution Day speech.

• Our Constitution makers framed this Constitution in the light of the dreams seen by the people who lived and died for independence.

• Hundreds of years of dependence pushed India into several problems. The India that was once called a golden bird was once suffering from poverty, starvation & diseases. In those times, this constitution guided us to take the nation forward.

• If we compare India with other countries, which got their independence in the same time frame, they are way ahead of us today. It means, that a lot of work still needs to be done. We have to reach the goal together.

• It's a reality that even after decades of Independence, a large section of people in the country had to suffer exclusion. Million were deprived of basic necessities like toilets, electricity and water.

• Investing oneself in understanding the problems and pain of such people to bring about a change- I consider this the real honour of the Constitution. I'm satisfied that in line with this sentiment of the Constitution, a vigorous drive is going on to convert exclusion into inclusion.

• Today, no nation directly exists as a colony but it doesn't mean that the colonial mindset has vanished. This mindset still exists and is giving rise to many distortions. We can see a clear example of this in the hurdles cropping up in the journey of developing nations.

• Attempts are made to shut the path and resources for developing nations through which developed nations reached where they are today.

• The issue of the environment is also being hijacked for this purpose. We saw an example of this in the recent COP26 Summit. If we talk of absolute cumulative emissions, developed nations have caused 15% more emissions than India since 1850 to date.

• It's unfortunate that obstacles are created in the development of our nation, sometimes in the name of freedom of expression and sometimes through other means. It's attempted to judge our nation on parameters of other nations, without knowing the situation or aspirations of our youth.

The prime minister was addressing a Constitution Day event organised by the Supreme Court on Friday.