NEW DELHI: In a riposte to accusations that the NDA govt is posing a threat to the Constitution and the independence of the judiciary, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday said he had always discharged his constitutional duties within the executive’s boundaries without ever attempting to encroach upon the turf of other organs of governance.
“In discharging the duties entrusted to me by the Constitution, I have always strived to remain within the boundaries set by the Constitution. I have never attempted to encroach on the turf of others (judiciary and legislature),” Modi said at a function organised by Supreme Court to celebrate the 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution.
The remark was possibly aimed at SCBA president and MP Kapil Sibal, who said that to protect the values of the Constitution and centrality of the people to governance, SC must keep reminding the govt of the day about its duties to preserve the independence of the judiciary. Modi said, “Some wise man raised this issue, that’s why I thought it fit to place my view. For this august gathering, a hint is enough and requires no elaboration.”
Faith of people is foremost for judiciary: CJI Khanna
Modi’s response appeared to be an extension of a political battle that played out through the day in the public arena on Constitution Day, with govt and opposition duking it out over who represented a threat to the statute.
Modi began his speech by paying homage to victims of the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai and said while the country celebrates Constitution Day and pays homage to the framers of the Constitution, which remains the guiding light for his govt, “we must not forget the heinous terror attack on this day in 2008. I pay homage to those innocents who lost their lives.”
“I am reiterating the resolve of the country that every terror outfit which challenges the safety and security of the country will get a befitting response (muh tod jawab),” he said, hinting that the response of then then UPA govt to 26/11 was delayed and inadequate. The PM outlined the work of his govt in the last 10 years, and said: “Our aim is to provide a dignified quality of life to every citizen and achieve social justice.” “The humane values of Ram, Sita, Hanuman, Buddha, Mahavir and Nanak, whose pictures adorn the pages of the original Constitution, are at the core of our policies,” he said. Modi said Constituent Assembly chairperson Rajendra Prasad had said that the country needed people at the helm of governance who do not want anything for themselves but keep the nation as the priority. He said his govt functions on the mantra of ‘nation first’.
Speaking at the function, CJI Sanjiv Khanna said judges while discharging their duties walk a razor’s edge and attempt a balancing act while deciding issues involving conflict between rights of people. He said faith of the people is foremost for the judiciary along with transparency, efficiency and accountability.