Constitution in pocket: PM Modi's dig at Rahul Gandhi at Kisan Tak Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took a swipe at the Opposition, accusing some leaders of treating the Constitution and democracy as their personal property and displaying a sense of entitlement even when they are out of power.

Speaking at the India Today Group's Kisan Tak Bharat Agriculture Conference 2026, Modi also recalled an incident from his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, alleging that the then central government had pressured researchers to seek its approval before publishing economic rankings.

"These days, some people take the Constitution out of their pockets and think that the country's Constitution and democracy are in their pockets," Modi said, in an apparent reference to Opposition leaders.

He added that some leaders continued to display what he described as an unusual sense of entitlement despite no longer being in government. "Even when they are not in power, they behave this way. It is a strange kind of intoxication with power," he said.

Modi then said he wanted to share an anecdote from the time when the same political establishment was in power at the Centre.PM MODI RECALLS GUJARAT'S TOP RANKING

Recalling his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi said the state had secured the number one position in an economic performance ranking published by an organisation named after a former Prime Minister.

"At one time, the media used to rank states based on their performance. In one such ranking related to the economy, Gujarat came number one, and I was the Chief Minister at the time," he said.

Without naming the organisation, Modi hinted that it was named after a former Prime Minister, adding that the ranking was based on research conducted by some of the country's leading economists.

However, he claimed that Gujarat's recognition did not go down well with the political establishment in Delhi at the time.

"The people in power in Delhi could not accept Gujarat being honoured. They actually instructed the researchers that things would not work this way and that, before publishing any report, they would have to seek our approval," Modi said.

The Prime Minister used the anecdote to accuse the then central government of attempting to influence the publication of research findings that recognised Gujarat's economic performance.PM MODI HIGHLIGHTS FARM SECTOR GROWTH, POVERTY REDUCTION

Moving to the agriculture sector, Modi said India's farm sector had recorded an average annual growth rate of more than 4 per cent over the past decade. He described it as the first time since Independence that the sector had achieved such sustained growth.

The Prime Minister also cited a World Bank study to claim that nearly 50 crore people had overcome poverty over the past 12 to 13 years. He said small farmers and agricultural labourers were among those who had moved out of poverty, while rural areas had witnessed a significant decline in poverty.

Highlighting India's position in global agricultural markets, Modi said the country's annual agricultural exports had crossed INR 4 lakh crore. He said India had become the world's largest producer of milk, pulses and millets, while ranking among the leading producers of rice.

The country also ranks second globally in the production of wheat, cotton, vegetables and fish, he said, adding that these figures reflected the capabilities of Indian farmers.

Modi also referred to growth in allied agricultural activities, including honey production and horticulture. He said honey production had increased from around 80,000 tonnes to 1.5 lakh tonnes, while horticulture production had risen from 280 million tonnes to more than 350 million tonnes.PM MODI JOKES ABOUT MEDIA SEEKING A NEGATIVE HEADLINE

During his address, Modi also made a light-hearted remark about media coverage of his speech, suggesting that journalists might be waiting for a critical headline.

"People from Aaj Tak must be thinking that they haven't got a negative headline so far. So, there should be some discussion for a headline as well," he said.

He added that he had so far been speaking about the country, suggesting that the media might not have found his remarks particularly controversial.- Ends