New Delhi [India], March 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a sharp dig at the so-called ‘Lutyens’ Jamaat’ and ‘Khan Market Gang’ for their silence on outdated British-era laws, including one that allowed police to arrest a groom and others if more than 10 people danced at a wedding.
Addressing the NXT Conclave 2025, PM Modi questioned why those who are the “self-proclaimed custodians of PIL” and often approach courts did not raise concerns about such laws. He said, “I am surprised by the ‘Lutyens’ Jamaat’ and ‘Khan Market Gang’ that they have been silent for so many years. The people who are the ‘thekedaar’ of PIL, those who visit courts every now and then, why weren’t they worried about the liberty back then?”
The Prime Minister pointed out that the British-era law, the Dramatic Performance Act, which was introduced 150 years ago, continued to exist even 75 years after India’s independence. The law allowed police to arrest anyone involved in wedding celebrations if 10 or more people danced. He proudly stated, “Our government abolished it.”
PM Modi further reflected on the double standards, remarking, “Had Modi brought such a law (Dramatic Performances Act), just think what would have happened. Even if trolls on social media spread any such false information – ‘yeh log aag laga dete, Modi ke baal noch lete’ (they would have set fire, would have pulled out my hair). But, it’s our government which has abolished this law from the era of Colonialism.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s systematic efforts to eliminate outdated laws, revealing that over 1,500 irrelevant laws, many from the colonial era, had been scrapped under his leadership.
Additionally, PM Modi pointed to another archaic law that jailed individuals for cutting bamboo, as it was wrongly classified as a tree. He explained, “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… It’s our government that changed the law.”
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of bamboo in the lives of tribal communities, especially in the Northeast, and how the change in law had positively impacted these communities.
In his speech, PM Modi also touched on advancements in education, with the National Education Policy allowing students to learn coding from middle school to prepare for emerging fields like AI and data science. He revealed plans to launch 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs as part of the 2025 Budget to foster hands-on experiences with technology.
Discussing economic growth, PM Modi shared that over 2.5 crore households had received electricity for the first time in the past decade. The rise in electricity demand, along with cheaper data, fueled a surge in the consumption of digital devices, which, in turn, led to India’s increased export of electronics. He attributed this growth to government policies like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
Finally, PM Modi emphasized that India is becoming a reliable global partner in the supply chain, evolving from a “back office” to the “new factory of the world.” He highlighted the country’s growth as an export hub, with products like Pulwama snow peas, Purandar figs from Maharashtra, and Kashmir’s cricket bats finding demand worldwide.