New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chose the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution to emphasise on people's duties, saying their rights were stressed upon earlier but time has now come to focus on citizens' responsibilities as well.
In his address to a joint sitting of Parliament to mark the Constitution Day, he said a special aspect of the Indian Constitution is that it highlights both the rights and duties of citizens.
"Let us think about how we can fulfill duties enshrined in our Constitution," Modi said.
Opposition parties boycotted the event to protest political developments in Maharashtra following the governor's decision to swear in BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as the state's chief minister.
Speaking to lawmakers in Parliament's Central Hall, where the Constitution was adopted, Modi said there had been an emphasis on people's rights in the last many years as a vast number of people felt deprived of equality and justice.
The demand of the present time is that society should deliberate on its duties and responsibilities as well, he said and asserted, "We cannot preserve our rights without fulfilling our responsibilities".
Noting that the Constitution begins with "we the people of India", he said people are its strength, inspiration, and aim.