Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on Friday attended the Constitution Day Celebrations in Parliament paid his tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar and Rajendra Prasad even as he expressed concern over an impending crisis in the form of ‘family based parties’ in the country.
“Constitution Day should be celebrated because our path should constantly be evaluated whether it is right or not…In the form of family-based parties, India is heading towards a kind of a crisis, which is a matter of concern for the people devoted to the Constitution…How can the parties which have lost their democratic character protect democracy?” the Prime Minister said in a dig at the opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party.
Modi paid his tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and the martyrs of 26/11. He stressed on the need to move on the path to duty.
“It would have been better if the duty had been emphasized after the country’s independence. In the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, it is necessary for us to move forward on the path of duty so that our rights are protected,” PM Modi said.
President Ramnath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also addressed the gathering on the occasion. The nation joined President Live in reading the Preamble of the Constitution.
The President also released the digital version of Constituent Assembly debates, calligraphed copy of the Constitution of India, and an updated version of the Constitution of India that includes all amendments till date. He also inaugurated ‘Online Quiz on Constitutional Democracy.”
The Prime Minister said, “Today is the day to pay homage to the far-sighted great personalities like Babasaheb Ambedkar, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Bapu, and all those who made sacrifices during the freedom struggle. Today is the day to salute this house. Under the leadership of such stalwarts, after much churning and discussion, the nectar of our Constitution emerged,” he said,
Modi emphasized that today is the day to bow to this house of democracy also. The Prime Ministers bowed to the martyrs of 26/11 also. “Today, 26/11 is such a sad day for us, when the enemies of the country came inside the country and carried out the terrorist attack in Mumbai. The brave soldiers of the country sacrificed their lives while fighting the terrorists. Today I bow to their sacrifices”, he said.
The Prime Minister said that constitution is not just a collection of many articles, “our constitution is a great tradition of millennia.” This is a modern expression of that unbroken stream. The Prime Minister said Constitution Day should also be celebrated because our path should constantly be evaluated whether it is right or not.
Elaborating on the spirit behind celebrating the ‘Constitution Day’, the Prime Minister said it was during the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar, “we all felt that what could be a greater auspicious occasion than the gift that Babasaheb Ambedkar had given to this country, we should always remember his contribution in the form of a memory book (Smrit Granth)”. He said it would have been better if along with establishing the tradition of Republic Day on 26th January, ‘Constitution Day’ was also established on 26th November at that time itself.
Prime Minister Modi said in the form of family-based parties, India is heading towards a kind of a crisis, which is a matter of concern for the people devoted to the Constitution, a matter of concern for those who believe in democracy. He said, “more than one person from a family joining the party on the basis of merit does not make the party dynastic. Problems arise when a party is run by the same family, generation after generation.”
The Prime Minister further lamented that the spirit of the Constitution has also been hurt, every section of the Constitution has also been hurt, when political parties lose their democratic character themselves. “How can the parties which have lost their democratic character protect democracy ?,” he questioned.
Modi also warned against the tendency of forgetting and glorifying convicted corrupt people. He said while giving an opportunity to reform we should refrain from glorifying such people in public life.