India first is only religion, Constitution only holy book: Modi

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.