Modi accuses Opposition of maintaining unjust, regressive laws while in power

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a swipe at Opposition leaders, saying that those "who dance with a copy of Constitution on their head" had maintained unjust and regressive laws while in power, trampling the spirit of the Constitution.

Addressing an event in the national capital after inaugurating two expressways, the prime minister also said that opposition parties have not been able to digest the success of BJP in Delhi and its adjoining states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

He said: "Ye jo log samvidhan sar par rakh kar naachte hain na, woh samvidhan ko kaise kuchalte the, woh Baba Saheb (Ambedkar) ke bhavna ko kaise daga dete the, woh sachai main batane jaa raha hoon. (Those people who are dancing with a copy of Constitution on their heads, how they used to trample the Constitution and betray B R Ambedkar ideas, I am going to tell you the truth now.)"

"You will be astonished after hearing this. Our sanitation workers in Delhi are fulfilling huge responsibilities. We should thank them every morning.

"Earlier governments used to treat them like slaves," he said, adding that there was a provision in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act that sanitation workers could be jailed for a month on failure to report for duty without prior notice.

"What they used to think about sanitation workers? You will put them in jail for a small mistake," Modi asked.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition party members are often seen carrying a copy of Constitution, swearing to protect it from the onslaught of the ruling BJP.

The Opposition parties which now talk big things about social justice had enacted many such rules and laws in the country, Modi said, adding that the government is identifying and repealing such regressive laws.

The government has already repealed hundreds of such laws, and the process is continuing, the prime minister said.

During his speech, Modi also highlighted the unique alignment wherein BJP governments are currently in place in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

He said this reflects the immense blessings the entire region has bestowed upon their party and its leadership.

Modi emphasised that recognizing this responsibility, the government is fully committed to the development of Delhi-NCR.

He pointed out that certain political parties are still unable to accept the public's mandate.

He stated that these parties have distanced themselves from both public trust and ground realities.

Recalling how, a few months ago, conspiracies were hatched to pit the people of Delhi and Haryana against each other, the prime minister mentioned that false claims were made alleging that Haryana residents were poisoning Delhi's water supply.

He asserted that Delhi and the entire NCR have now been freed from such negative politics.