Modi talks unity in Rajya Sabha

He choose not to respond to the barbs by the Opposition on the 'silence' of the PM on the incidents of intolerance

In an effort of reaching out to the opposition in a house where his own ruling party is low on numbers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck a conciliatory chord in the Rajya Sabha, saying “We should be speaking the language of ‘we’, not ‘you’ and ‘me’.

Replying to the debate there on the Constitution, he extolled the House as “repositories of experience and wisdom”. The key bill of a national goods and services tax is stuck in the Rajya Sabha and the government is in negotiations to seek its passage.

Choosing not to respond to the opposition's barbs on his “silence” on incidents of intolerance and on divisive statements by ministers, the PM said finger-pointing should be eschewed by all, with a focus instead on things that bind, such as the Constitution.

Dismissing the jibe by opposition MPs that there were no members of his party who took part in the document's drafting, Modi said his government had started marking ‘Constitution Day’ as a tribute to the framers, to enable coming generations to learn from it and the process.

Quoting Gopalaswami Ayyangar, a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee and later a leader of the Rajya Sabha, the PM said the House's role was not to obstruct legislation but to use its wisdom and sagacity to thwart threats to parliamentary democracy.

He said even Nehru had advocated harmony between the two Houses. "It is important how we should run this House...The nation is looking at us."  

After the PM’s address, a resolution was passed unanimously by the House, vowing to protect India's plurality and its democratic, socialist and secular character.