Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a dig a the 'Lutyens Jamaat' and 'Khan Market Gang', questioning their silence on certain British-era laws, including one in which police could arrest the groom and others if 10 people danced together at a wedding.
"I am surprised by the 'Lutyens Jamaat' and 'Khan Market Gang' that they have been silent for this many years. The people who are the 'thekedaar' of PIL, those who visit Courts every now and then, why they weren't worried about the Liberty back then," Modi said at NXT Conclave 2025 in the national capital.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the Britishers brought the law 150 years ago and it stayed for 75 years after independence. "Even a wedding dance could lead to arrests. Our government abolished it," the Prime Minister said.
"Britishers brought a law--the Dramatic Performance Act--150 years back... This act was there even after 75 years of independence. It means if more than 10 people are dancing during a wedding, the police could arrest them along with the groom. Our government abolished that law. I have nothing to say to the government of that time and the leaders.
The PM stated that the same people would have raised a hue and cry if he was the one who brought such a law..
"Had Modi brought such a law (Dramatic Performance Act), just think what would have happened. Even if trolls on social media spread any such false information, these people would have raised a hue and cry and targeted Modi. But, it's our government which has abolished this law dating back to the colonial era," the prime minister said.
He further said that within a decade the Union government abolished approximately 1,500 laws that had lost their relevance, many of which were from the British era.
Further, in his address at the conclave, Modi said that there was even a law that jailed people for cutting bamboo, because previous governments failed to recognise that bamboo is not a tree.
"...Earlier, people used to be jailed for cutting bamboo because we had this law in our country that used to consider bamboo as a tree, and our earlier governments failed to understand that bamboo is not a tree... It's our govt that changed the law." says PM Narendra Modi
"Bamboo is an essential part of the lives of tribal communities in the Northeast. Earlier, people were jailed for cutting bamboo, as it was considered a tree, and tree-related laws applied to it. We abolished such colonial-era laws. Now, even processes like filing Income Tax return (ITR) are completed within minutes, and refunds are issued within days," he added.
The Prime Minister said that the National Education Policy has provided opportunities to think beyond textbooks.
"From middle school, children are learning coding to prepare for fields like AI and data science. Atal Tinkering Labs are offering hands-on experiences with emerging technologies. In this year's Budget, we have announced plans to launch 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs," he said.
Modi mentioned that in the past decade, more than 2.5 crore households had received electricity for the first time.
This increase in electricity demand and production led to a higher demand for electronic equipment. Cheaper data further boosted the demand for mobile phones, which in turn led to a rise in the consumption of digital devices. By turning this demand into an opportunity, we introduced programs like the PLI scheme, and India has now become a major exporter of electronics," he added.
Modi said that India is becoming a reliable partner in global supply chain and it is due to the planned and systematic policy decision of the Union government.
"For decades, the world referred to India as their back office. Now, India is becoming the new factory of the world. We are no longer just a workforce but instead becoming world force. Previously, the goods we used to import are now being produced locally, and the country is emerging as an export hub for those products. Farmers, once limited to local markets, are now seeing their crops reach global markets," he said.
He further said that products like Pulwama snow peas, Maharashtra's Purandar figs, and Kashmir's cricket bats are in demand worldwide.
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