Guv Mukhi appeals people to resort to fundamental duties as much as rights

HT Bureau

GUWAHATI, Nov 26: Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi said that India has the privilege of structuring, nurturing and sustaining the biggest democracy of 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 on Saturday, Governor 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, “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, Mukhi added 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.

Guv Mukhi further reiterated that people of the country should be united to mobilise the public and generate massive awareness for fundamental duties.

“People’s movement is the strongest tool in a democracy. So, in Indian democracy also there should be large scale public opinion to motivate the people to perform fundamental duties,” Mukhi added.

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 November 26 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 also 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.

The Governor also said that the Indian Constitution is not rigid but a living document. The Constituent Assembly was conscious that the Constitution needs to be inter-woven with new threads to accommodate new changes and people’s aspirations. As such, over the years, many amendments have been made to the Constitution by the Parliament, the Governor added.

Since, Constitution Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the adoption of Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949 by the constituent Assembly, the Governor referring to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi said that as a nation whatever is being done, attention must be made to ensure welfare of the people. He said that attributing every action to the welfare of the common man of India would be the greatest tribute to the framers of the Constitution and celebration of Constitution Day.

Member, 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 provision of federal and unity 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.

Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly Biswajit Daimary in his speech said, “Being the largest democracy in the entire globe, our Constitution provides the ultimate guide to leading a life of dignity and respect.”

He also said that every person needs to be well acquainted with the rules and regulations of the Constitution. He hoped that the celebration of Constitution Day would surely ignite a spark amongst the masses to discuss more about our Constitution and generate awareness to realise their rights.