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Day 2 Of Winter Session: Modi Says 'India First' Is Our Religion And Constitution Only Holy Book

Day 2 Of Winter Session: Modi Says 'India First' Is Our Religion And Constitution Only Holy Book
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the audience as he prepares to deliver the 37th Singapore Lecture Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Singapore as he starts his two-day official visit to the city-state. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the audience as he prepares to deliver the 37th Singapore Lecture Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Singapore as he starts his two-day official visit to the city-state. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Facing attack over 'intolerance', Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said 'India first' is the only religion of his government and Constitution is the only holy book while asserting his commitment to work for the welfare of people of all sections and religions.

He ruled out any review of the Constitution and reached out to the Opposition by saying that the ruling side does not believe in forcing decisions using its majority but believes in working through consensus.

Replying to a two-day long debate on the Constitution in Lok Sabha, Modi also rejected the Congress contention that the NDA government was trying to deny due credit or undermining the role of leaders like Jawahar Lal Nehru, to whom he paid rich tributes.

Speaking in the backdrop of attack over 'intolerance', he asserted that diversity is the strength of India and it needs to be nurtured.

"For the government, the only 'dharma' is 'India first, the only 'dharma granth' (holy book) is the Constitution," the Prime Minister asserted in his about 70-minute reply to the debate during which opposition members raked up the issue of 'intolerance' and questioned his silence over the issue.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.