“Our Constitution is the strong foundation stone of our democratic republic and it ensures our collective and individual dignity,” President Droupadi Murmu said while addressing a function to mark the 75th year of adoption of the Constitution.
Murmu said that these celebrations provide the country with an opportunity to take stock of the journey so far and plan a better one ahead.
The Constitution of India was the outcome of nearly three years of deliberations after independence which took into account the aspirations of the newly formed country after a long freedom struggle.
The NDA government is organising year-long celebrations to mark the occasion. It will also help the government counter the allegations of the Opposition parties who alleged that the BJP was trying to change the Constitution. The Opposition was partly successful in its messaging as they severely dented BJP’s 400-plus target, reducing it to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections this year.
The BJP-led NDA government is now going all out to fight this perception. President Murmu articulated the views of the Union government as she highlighted some of the work done by the government in the last 10 years, ranging from GST to new criminal laws.
“.... The ideals have been captured succinctly in the Preamble of the Constitution. They are justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. These ideals have defined India since the ages. The ideals highlighted in the Preamble of the Constitution complement each other.
“Together, they create an environment in which every single citizen finds an opportunity to flourish, contribute to society, and help fellow citizens,” she said.
The president said that India's constitutional ideals get strength from the active participation of the executive, legislature and judiciary, as well as all the citizens. She added that in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the executive, legislature, and judiciary to work together to make the lives of common people better.
She also argued that the Constitution was a living and progressive document. “Our farsighted Constitution-makers had provided for a system of adopting new ideas, according to the needs of the changing times.”
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in his address termed the Constitution as a “masterpiece” which was a tribute to the profound foresight and unwavering dedication of founding fathers.
As the Parliament sessions have been marked with repeated disturbances and discord between the Opposition and the treasury benches, Dhankar, who has had a hard time restoring decorum in the Upper House, said: “In contemporaneous times, with decorum and discipline cliff hanging in parliamentary discourse, this day we need to resolve by reiterating pristine glory of our Constituent Assembly embellished functioning. Disturbance as a strategy threatens democratic institutions. Time to restore sanctity of our democratic temples through constructive dialogue, debate, and meaningful discussion to serve our people effectively.”
Dhankhar reminded the gathered members the words of founding father, B.R. Ambedkar, who cautioned against the emerging political system. “... this much is certain that if the parties place creed above country, our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be lost forever. This eventuality we must all resolutely guard against. We must be determined to defend our independence with the last drop of our blood.”