INDIA REAFFIRMS FAITH IN CONSTITUTION

'Nation first' will keep alive Constitution for centuries to come, says PM Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the spirit of 'nation first' will keep alive the Indian Constitution for centuries to come, as the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution was celebrated across the country with calls for constructive dialogue to serve people effectively. As Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar cautioned that disturbance as a strategy threatened democratic institutions, Modi said the Constitution is acting as a "guiding light" at a time when India is going through a period of transformation.

The Constitution was variously described by the country's leadership as a "holy book", "living, continuously flowing stream", "progressive document", "masterpiece" and "our mother".

Recalling the words of the country's first President Rajendra Prasad in his concluding address to the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, Modi said he had stated that India does not need anything more than a group of honest people who will keep the country's interests above their own.

"This sentiment of 'nation first' will keep alive the Constitution for centuries to come," he said, comments that came against the backdrop of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's relentless attack on the BJP alleging that the saffron party wanted to "destroy the Constitution."