New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) In an apparent dig at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said some people "take out the Constitution from their pocket" and think democracy is "in their pocket", adding that though "they are not in government", they have "a different intoxication of power".
Speaking at the Kisan Tak Bharat Agriculture Conference organised by the India Today Group, Modi did not name any party or leader.
"These days, some people take out the Constitution from their pocket. They think that the nation's Constitution and its democracy are right there in their pockets.
“Even while not in government, they seem to be under a peculiar, intoxicating spell of power, (Aaj kal kuch log samvbhidan ko apni jeb se nikalte hain. Aur yeh sochte hain, ki desh ka samvidhan, desh ka loktantra toh unki jeb mein hain. Sarkar mein na rahte hue bhi, yeh satta ka alag hi nasha hai unko)," he said.
Modi said such people's behaviour in power could be understood through an incident from his time as Gujarat chief minister.
He said Gujarat had once been ranked number one in a ranking of best-performing states on the economy. "The institution that gave Gujarat the number one ranking was named after a former Prime Minister of this country. That is enough of a hint," he said, without naming it.
The ranking was based on research by well-known economists, he said, but those in power in Delhi "could not bear Gujarat's reputation" and went after those who did the research.
"These are the same people who preach about martyrdom and democracy. This was a long time ago, and you can find out what happened after this by doing research," he said.
