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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Bihar always came forward to blow the trumpet of protest whenever an attempt was made to crush the Constitution of India. The prime minister said this was because the state’s history and heritage were steeped in democratic ideals. Bihar espoused the concept that democracy in India was as ancient as the country’s culture, he added.
“When large parts of the world were taking their first steps towards civilisation and culture, a sophisticated democracy was operating in Vaishali. When the understanding of democratic rights began to develop in other regions of the world, republics like Lichchavi and Vajjisangh were at their peak,” PM Modi said, addressing the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Bihar legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Modi said Bihar gave independent India its first president in the form of Dr Rajendra Prasad, and leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan, Karpoori Thakur and Jagjivan Ram. He further said the Bihar Vidhan Sabha had a history of its own, and had often made big and bold decisions.
“Before independence, Governor Satyendra Prasanna Sinha had appealed from this assembly to encourage indigenous industries and to adopt Swadeshi Charkha. After independence, the Zamindari Abolition Act was passed in this assembly. Taking this tradition forward, (chief minister) Nitish (Kumar) ji’s government passed an act like Bihar Panchayati Raj,” he added.
Modi said he had the privilege of being the first prime minister to visit the Bihar Vidhan Sabha complex. “It is the nature of Bihar that the one who loves Bihar, Bihar returns that love manifold. Today, I have also got the privilege of being the first prime minister of the country to visit Bihar Vidhan Sabha complex. I bow my heart to the people of Bihar for this affection,” he added.
But, he said, Bihar’s heritage and history has not got its due. For decades there has been a perception that India got its democracy due to foreign rule and foreign thinking, he added.
“But, when any person says this, they are trying to cover up the history and heritage of Bihar. India considers democracy as a means of equality, and believes in the idea of coexistence and harmony. We believe in truth and cooperation, as well as in the cohesive power of society,” Modi said.
Governor Phagu Chauhan and chief minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the PM upon his first visit to the state in over a year. Besides the governor and the CM, those who received Modi at the airport included union minister Giriraj Singh and state minister Mangal Pandey.
There were tight security arrangements on the nearly 2-km stretch from the airport to the assembly building. The PM is scheduled to spend about a couple of hours in state capital Patna.
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