Constitution Day 2024: Celebrations And Criticisms – Who Said What

Constitution Day of India, also known as Samvidhan Divas, is observed annually on November 26. The adoption of the world's longest written constitution by the Constituent Assembly in 1949 followed 167 days of debates, involving 274 members and spanning 36 lakh words. The Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950, establishing India as a sovereign, democratic republic.

The government has planned a yearlong celebration to commemorate the anniversary of the Constitution's adoption, which began with President Droupadi Murmu's address to a joint sitting of parliamentarians today.

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From the President and Prime Minister to the Chief Justice of India, leaders across the political spectrum greeted the nation on Constitution Day. However, several opposition leaders criticised the BJP-led government, accusing it of undermining constitutional values and engaging in "political duplicity."

Here are some reactions from key leaders:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution. “Happy Constitution Day to all countrymen on the auspicious occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution,” Modi posted on X.

President Droupadi Murmu

“The Indian Constitution is a living and progressive document through which we have achieved the goals of social justice and inclusive development,” President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday. Addressing an event to begin the year-long celebrations of the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution, Murmu recalled the contribution of the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly in framing the document.

"...75 years ago, on this very day, in this very Central Hall of the ‘Samvidhan Sadan’, the Constituent Assembly accomplished the huge task of framing the Constitution for a newly independent country," Murmu said. She also released the Maithili and Sanskrit versions of the Constitution on the occasion.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged citizens to protect the ethos of the Constitution and said the struggle to defend India's inherent philosophy must be reinvigorated in the 75th year of its adoption.

Kharge recalled several eminent personalities who were not only revered national icons but also inspiring figures who became the torchbearers of hope for generations, including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, K.M. Munshi, Sarojini Naidu, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, and others.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah greeted people on Constitution Day and said the strength of democracy in a huge country like India is its Constitution, which gives the mantra of national unity and integrity. Shah said the Constitution is not just a book to be displayed on stage, but it is the key to make the highest contribution to public life by internalising it with full devotion.

Chief Justice Of India Sanjiv Khanna

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday said India has emerged as a vibrant democracy and a geopolitical leader, thanks to its Constitution. "India has had a transformative journey from a nation, which under the aftermath and horrors of partition saw widespread illiteracy, poverty, and lack of robust democratic systems, to one which is now a self-assured leader," CJI Khanna said.

"But at the back of it is the Constitution of India, which has helped this transformation. It is today a way of life that has to be lived up to," he added while speaking at the Constitution Day function organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the apex court.

Leader Of Opposition Rahul Gandhi

Addressing the 'Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyaan', Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi referred to the function held on Constitution Day in Parliament and said that it is his guarantee that "Modi has not read" the Constitution.

"If PM Modi had read this book, he would not do what he does daily," Gandhi said, displaying a copy of the Constitution of India. Gandhi added that the country's entire system is pitted against Dalits, Adivasis, and backward class people. He said a wall obstructs the path of Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, and Modi and the RSS are strengthening that wall by "adding cement to it".

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav

Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Constitution day celebration at a time when people lost their lives in Sambhal is not right and alleged that leaders of Opposition are not being allowed to visit the violence-hit area in Uttar Pradesh.

He took to social media to hit out at the BJP for allegedly undermining constitutional values and engaging in political duplicity.

In a post on X in Hindi, he wrote that the biggest celebration is to respect the Constitution and follow the path shown by it.

"On one hand, BJP wants to do as it pleases by ignoring the Constitution, and on the other hand, it wants to show off. This political duplicity of BJP is dangerous for the country and its citizens," Yadav said in his post.

Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti

Former J&K Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said it was "disheartening" that the country's largest minority was facing "unprecedented threats" as it celebrated Constitution Day.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) supremo referred to the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, where four people died during protests against a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque.

"This trend of searching for temples under mosques continues despite a clear Supreme Court ruling that the status quo on all religious places, as they existed in 1947, should be maintained," Mehbooba added. The PDP chief also said the "erosion of constitutional values and the rule of law is extremely concerning."