GUWAHATI: Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi said that India has the privilege of structuring, nurturing and sustaining the biggest democracy in the world. As such the constitution which is the guiding light of this biggest democracy should connect to the existence of every common man and reflect their aspirations.
Speaking at the celebrations of the Constitution Day at Raj Bhavan here today, Governor Prof. Mukhi said that since the Constitution of India is the lone source of strength to everybody in the country, it should be used as a guiding light to make the life of everybody more meaningful. Stating the intrinsic relationship between the Constitution and the people, the Governor said that the Constitution empowers the people as much as the people empower the Constitution. When individuals and institutions ask what the Constitution has done for them and how it has built their capacities - they must also consider what they have done to uphold the Constitution. And what they have done to support its value system. The Constitution strengthens the people. At the same time, people should also strengthen the Constitution with their actions every day.
The Governor also said that one of the finest contributions of the framers of the Constitution is their step that the sovereignty of the nation is ultimately vested with the citizens of the country. Therefore, the Constituent Assembly was of the firm belief that they have a claim to Fundamental Rights. However, Prof. Mukhi said that along with their rights, the citizens also have obligations towards the nation and the society in the form of Fundamental Duties. He, therefore, appealed to everybody to reflect more on fundamental duties included in the Constitution.
Paying a rich tribute to the framers of the constitution like Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr B.R. Ambedkar and others, the Governor said that in 2015, the Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 26th November as the Constitution Day to acknowledge and respect the contribution of the farmers of the Constitution and enlighten the people on the prominent values that the Constitution accommodates. He said that the most important feature of the Constitution is its everlasting philosophy. The framers of the Constitution were very far-sighted and therefore, they made the Constitution flexible to give future generations the power to change the clauses of the Constitution to make them more meaningful and compatible with changing times.
Member, of Rajya Sabha and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi, speaking on the occasion highlighted the journey of the Constituent Assembly which was constituted to frame the Constitution for an Independent India. He said that it was a long-drawn endeavour which encompassed the hard toil of the framers who gave the shape of the Constitution. He said that when the framers of the Constituent Assembly drafted the Constitution, they mainly relied on the spirit of mutual trust. Moreover, they also wanted to make the philosophy of the Constitution everlasting. The Constitution framers were very far-sighted so they made provisions of federal and unitary character in the Constitution to accommodate specific requirements. He also spoke at length on the overall spirit of the Constitution and how it is serving different situations, a press release said.
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