On the occasion of 70th anniversary of the adoption of
the Constitution of India, I convey my warm greetings to all of you, and to all
our fellow citizens in India and abroad. It was 70 years ago, on this
very day, that in this Central Hall itself, through the Members of the
Constituent Assembly, we the people of India adopted, enacted and gave to
ourselves this Constitution. It was in 2015, the 125th birth anniversary year
of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar that the Government of India decided to
celebrate November 26 as 'Constitution Day' every year. This is a commendable100 initiative to reiterate our gratitude to the chief
architect of our Constitution. This is for the first time that we120 are celebrating the 'Constitution Day' in the Central
Hall, with the participation of Members of both Houses of Parliament. It140 is a privilege for all of us to witness and
participate in this historic event. By their sheer wisdom, prudence, 160 foresight and diligence, the makers of our Constitution
prepared a futuristic and vibrant document that reflects our ideals and
aspirations on one hand, and protects the future of all Indians on the
other. The Constitution of India lies at the200 foundation of the world's largest democracy. This
is the supreme law in the country’s democratic framework and it
continuously guides us in our endeavours. The Constitution is also the fountainhead
of our democratic system of governance and our guiding light. 240 We Indians have had a tradition of maintaining our
Indian identity while also welcoming noble ideas emanating from all the
sources. This cultural ethos also finds its reflection in the making of our
Constitution. We have adopted the best280
practices from several other Constitutions of other countries. In addition, the
imprint of our age-old values and the ideals from our300 freedom struggle can also be seen in
our Constitution. Our Constitution is of the people of India, by the320 people of India, and for the people of India. It is a national
document whose different facets also reflect the democratic systems
prevalent in our ancient assemblies, ancient Indian republics and the Buddhist
Sanghas. Under the extraordinary chairmanship of Dr. Rajendra360 Prasad, the Constituent Assembly accomplished the
exceptional feat of blending and balancing different ideas and ideologies.
The drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly, under the chairmanship of
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, displayed unparalleled prudence, honesty, grit and
diligence and gave final400 shape to the Constitution. Our democracy
finds its resonance in our Constitution. To ensure that the Constitution
remains relevant420 over time, the makers of the Constitution
also incorporated provisions allowing future generations to make such
amendments as may be deemed necessary. Indian democracy is duly regarded and respected all over the
world. This year, the people of India, participated in the 17th General
Election and accomplished the largest democratic exercise in the
world. Over 610 million people cast their vote480 in this election. The participation of women
voters was almost equal to that of men. The election of 78 women500 Members to 17th Lok Sabha, being the highest number
of women Members ever elected to this House, is a glorious
achievement for our democracy. Today, all the Members of the Standing Committee
of Parliament on Empowerment of Women are women. This signifies an important social
and political change reflective of a bright future.
The people of our country deserve560 to be complimented for the value and respect that the Indian
Constitution has earned over the last 70 years. Likewise, the three
organs of the Union and State Governments, that is, the Legislature, the
Executive and the Judiciary, deserve to be complimented600 for the same. Strengthening the relationship and
synergy between the Union and States, our journey towards co-operative federalism
is a living example of the dynamism of our Constitution. While
delivering his last speech in the Constituent Assembly on 25th
of640 November, 1949, Dr. Ambedkar had said that
the success of the Constitution would depend upon the conduct of the people
of India and the political parties. The illustrious makers of our Constitution
had, with complete devotion and honesty, envisioned to serve and work conscientiously
while remaining free from fear or favour, affection or ill-will and
bias. They would have been confident700
that their future generations, that is, all of us, will adopt these values
with the same spontaneity and integrity, as720 they, themselves, did. I think, in the present times,
we all need to introspect and reflect upon this. In one of his speeches
to the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar while underlining the
importance of constitutional morality emphasised that the essence of constitutional
morality was to regard the Constitution as supreme and to follow the
constitutionally mandated procedures regardless of any ideological differences.
All the three organs of the State, persons gracing the constitutional posts,
members of the civil society800 and common citizens of India are expected to
abide by constitutional morality. According to our Constitution, it is the
duty of every citizen to abide by the Constitution and respect its
ideals and institutions; to cherish and follow the noble840 ideals of our freedom struggle; to renounce practices derogatory
to the dignity of women; and to value and preserve the rich heritage of our
culture. The Constitution also mentions other duties of citizens. Mahatma
Gandhi, while speaking about rights and duties of people, had said, "The
true source of rights is duty. If we all discharge our duties, rights will900 not be far to seek.” By incorporating the provisions
relating to Fundamental Duties into our Constitution, our Parliament has made
it abundantly clear that while being alert about their rights, citizens should
also be conscious of their duties. ‘Fundamental duties’ also remind the
people of their moral responsibilities. It can be said that the soul of
the Constitution lies in960 its Preamble, and in the parts pertaining to Fundamental
Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties. Rights and
duties are two980 sides of the same coin. Our Constitution provides the fundamental
right to freedom of speech and expression and it also1000 enjoins upon citizens the duty to safeguard public
property and to abjure violence. Therefore, if someone misconstrues
the meaning of the freedom of speech and expression and is about to
damage some public property, then another, who prevents him from indulging in
such an act of violence and anarchy will be seen as a dutiful
citizen. Therefore, we need to perform our duties and thereby create
circumstances which would ensure effective protection of rights.
Developing the spirit of humanism is1080 also a fundamental duty of citizens. To serve with compassion
towards all, is also inherent in this duty. I would like to mention
one Shrimati Muktaben of Gujarat, on whom I had the honour of conferring
‘Padmashri’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan1120
this very year. Despite losing her eyesight in her childhood, she
devoted her whole life to the welfare of others. She has brightened the lives
of many visually impaired girls. Through her organization, she has been
instilling the light of hope in the lives of numerous blind women from
many States of India. Citizens like her truly uphold the ideals of our
Constitution. They deserve to be called nation-builders. As Members of
Parliament, you have taken an oath to bear1200 true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of
India as by law established and to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of
India. As the President of India, I too have taken an oath to
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law to the best of my
ability and devote myself to the service and well-being of the people1260 of India. We all need to be always mindful
of our oath and affirmation. Citizens and voters of India expect1280 their representatives to work to solve issues related to
their welfare. Most people never get to meet their own Members of
Parliament. But they regard you as the guardians of their hopes and
aspirations. In deference to this trust and faith, serving the people
should be our foremost priority. It is indeed a great fortune to
enter this holy temple of democracy and get an opportunity to serve the
people of India. The most important objective and ideal presented to us
by the Constitution is to secure to all its citizens justice and equality of
status and of opportunity. It is only because the framers of Constitution
ensured equality of opportunity that I have this opportunity to
address this historic1400 sitting of Parliament as the President of
India. Our Constitution enshrines the ideal of building an inclusive society
and also contains provisions for realizing it. Today is a great opportunity to
convey our gratitude to the makers of our Constitution1440 who gave us a system to bring about revolutionary
changes peacefully by way of constitutional amendments. All
Members of Parliament deserve appreciation for the several
constitutional amendments passed during the last few years. In our country,
constitutional avenues are available to address all kinds of situations that we
may face. Therefore, whatever we do, we must first ponder whether our action is
in conformity with constitutional boundaries, dignity and morality? I am
sure that, being mindful of this constitutional touchstone and
consistent with our constitutional ideals, we will earn for India its rightful
place in the world as an ideal democracy. Let us resolve that we,
the people of India, will continuously strive to achieve the ideals of our
Constitution and realize the dreams of millions of our fellow citizens. 1570
