Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the "most bitterly criticised" person post Independence, BJP chief Amit Shah said, adding that if criticism was targeted against the country, it cannot be called freedom of expression.
"Sab se jyada katu alochana agar kisi ek vyakti ki hui hai azadi ke baad, to wah hai Narendra Modiji ki. (After the Independence, if there is one person who has received the most bitter criticism, it is Narendra Modiji)," he said at the inauguration of 'India Idea Conclave 2016' here.
"Alochana ka swagat hai. Alochana ko sahan bhi karna chahiye. Magar Narendra Modi ji ki alochana se ek kadam aage jakar agar isko desh ke virodh ki disha mein le jayenge to kshama karna ye sacchi swatantrata nahi hai abhivyakti ki. (Criticism is welcome and it should be tolerated. But if someone goes beyond that and targets the country, it cannot be pardoned or termed as freedom of expression)," he said.
Shah said although dissent was part of the democracy, if it continued in an unwarranted way, there could be no development.
"If people do not understand this, the purpose of democracy will collapse. The purpose of democracy is to ensure that development reaches the last man in the society - who can utilise the same to explore his maximum potential to realise his freedom," he said.
The BJP chief alleged that the country got good governance after 68 years of Independence, when the Modi-led government came to power.
"We spoke about the all-inclusive development. In the 2014 elections, after 30 years a single party got majority in Parliament," he said, adding that the government has implemented reforms in every sector.
Referring to the row over the issue of triple talaq, Shah said, "When the Union government has taken a stand, there was no scope for confusion on the issue." "The Constitution has given right to every woman to live safely here. Had you ever imagined that women's issues could be a part of Prime Minister's speech on Independence Day? But when BJP came to power, it became part of the PM's speech," he added. PTI RPS NP
