Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruled out any review of the Constitution in his speech, which was filled with praise for BR Ambedkar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his reply to a discussion on the Constitution in Parliament on Friday, emphasised on consensus as he reached out to the opposition, whose support his government will need to push key reforms in the winter session which started yesterday.
"People give us power when we work together in consensus. Consensus is more important than majority rule," PM Modi said in his hour-long speech, that came at the end of the two-day special debate.
The Prime Minister's tone was in sharp contrast to the acrimonious debate, in which the opposition attacked the government repeatedly over what it calls "rising intolerance," and members of the ruling BJP hit back.
"The government has only one religion, India first; the only holy book the government follows is the Constitution of India," PM Modi said asserting that diversity is the strength of India and it needs to be nurtured.
Criticised by the Congress during the debate for "not acknowledging the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru," in the framing of the Constitution, PM Modi referred to the former Prime Minister several times and also said, "I said this from the Red Fort and I say it again. India has progressed because of the contribution of previous governments and Prime Ministers."
He ruled out any review of the Constitution in his speech, which was filled with praise for BR Ambedkar, widely acknowledged as the chief architect of the Constitution and to whom the special sitting paid tribute.
Soon after his speech in Parliament, PM Modi met his predecessor Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for discussions over tea at his Race Course Road residence, in what is being seen as an attempt to unlock the Goods and Services Tax or GST, which will create a single market in India after doing away with state levies and is expected to boost the economy.
The government, which is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha or upper house, needs the support of the Congress to pass the GST Bill, a constitutional amendment that requires the approval of two-thirds of both houses.