Sonia targets government, says constitutional principles attacked

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday targeted the Narendra Modi government during a debate in parliament, saying that the principles that inspired the country for decades were being "deliberately attacked".

In her speech in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi spoke of the contribution of B.R. Ambedkar to the making of the constitution and also recalled his words praising the contribution of the Congress to the process of its adoption.

Attacking the Modi government during the debate on commitment to India's constitution, she said: "Whatever we have seen for the past few months, it is against the values of constitution."

"Today is a day of happiness but there is also pain. The principles that inspired (us) for decades, a danger is lurking over them. They are being deliberately attacked," she said.

"The people who have no faith in constitution, who have not contributed to its making, they are talking about it repeatedly, are trying to appropriate it. There cannot be a bigger joke," she added.

The Congress has for the past some months persistently attacked the Modi government over "rising intolerance".

The house on Thursday took up discussion on commitment to India's Constitution as part of 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Ambedkar, regarded as the chief architect of the constitution.

The day is also being observed as the Constitution Day, commemorating the acceptance of draft statute on this day in 1949.