Constitution Day Special : Unforgettable journey of the Indian Constitution

26th November is celebrated as Constitution Day. On this day, 73 years ago, in 1949 we enacted and adopted our constitution. This is usually not a long period in a nation’s life span, however, the pedestal of the nation’s future is built and strengthened in this period. From the perspective of statutory development, the initial decades are relatively more important as the foundation of a new legal system is laid in that period.

During the initial years, the tradition of its assimilation is developed and the direction of judicial interpretation of the law is decided. Through the constitution, we declared our nation as a sovereign, democratic republic and pledged to provide social, economic and political justice to all its citizens. We envisioned a society with freedom of thought, expression, belief, religion and worship, as well as equality of status and opportunity for all citizens. The Constitution is a document of the promise of freedom and prosperity. It also represents the freedom and passion for us to dream and build a society of our own. It is not only a collection of black and white words, but it is also a written expression for good governance. But the responsibility of strengthening it is in the hands of its citizens.

Through our constitution, our forefathers had dreamed of Ram Rajya, in which all are equal. Everyone should stay within the limits of the law. Consider the state power as Ram’s sacred sandals and serve the public. Follow the law fairly. There should be no fear of anyone while taking a decision and no greed for anything can sway them. In the past years, we have tried to follow all the ideals of the constitution. We have an excellent record in most cases. Democracy has not been able to make that impact in the life of the people in any of the 50 countries that got independence with us, which has been made in our country. Democracy has never been able to survive freely in any of our neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It was always in fear and shackles of the military dictatorship. Meanwhile, we have witnessed the glorious moments of graceful transfer of power at the Center through general elections seventeen times. The standard of living of the common man has improved. Indians have left a mark of their potential all over the world. At the international level, we are seen with respect. But despite this, there have been moments when we have violated the dignity of the Constitution, hurt it and shown contempt. This conduct of ours has hurt the prestige of the Constitution and our democracy.

We need to pay attention to this. There is a need to rectify our faults. Our constitution is a living document of social and economic justice. The efforts made in the years after independence are vivid examples of this. Historical achievements like abolition of the Zamindari system are recorded in golden letters in the history of the nation. This happened for the first time in the global history when land was taken from a few thousand landlords and given to lakhs of landless farmers and all this happened peacefully without shedding a drop of blood. There is no other example in the world, where such extensive land reforms have been carried out so peacefully. What the communist nations could not succeed in achieving in the field of land reforms even after shedding the blood of lakhs of their citizens, we implemented them peacefully. Today the whole country is getting its benefit. Education is the foundation stone of social enthusiasm. It opens the door to a new world of knowledge. It helps in developing independent thinking, brings you out of the darkness of illusions and increases confidence and self-esteem.

Education has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 21A of the Constitution. Efforts are being made to ensure the responsibility of the states so that no child remains uneducated. Let there be no hindrance in his progress. This is a big step. Article 370 and the invisible Article 35A of the Constitution were like a prick to our heart. The meaningful and long-awaited initiative taken in this direction three years ago gave wide scope to equality and freedom and self-respect. The biggest hurdle in tackling the separatism of Jammu and Kashmir has been removed. The resolution of one nation, one constitution and one symbol has been fulfilled. Now no permit is required to go there. Like other parts of the country, now anyone from the rest of India can settle there and buy property. Women got equal rights and deprived-exploited people got the right of reservation. Articles 370 and 35A were symbols of our political defeat.

The country has achieved an unprecedented achievement by removing it from the constitution. Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar had said in his speech given in the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949 that the success of the constitution of any country depends on the character and intention of the citizens of that country and those who run the constitution. He further said that no matter how good a constitution is, if those who run it do not have the dedication to the values of the constitution and the spirit to implement it, then the constitution will remain just a bunch of lifeless papers. On the other hand, if there is any lacuna in any constitution, but if the people who follow it are loyal to the objectives of the constitution, then by removing those lacunae they will create a vibrant society. In the last 73 years, we have witnessed Dr. Ambedkar’s statement to be literally true. Over the years, our loyalty to the high ideals of the Constitution has taken us to the front lines. We have failed only where our citizens and the ruling class have ignored the values of the Constitution.