Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has been celebrating Constitution Day on November 26 every year since 2015. He also pointed out that “our Constitution is the world’s largest and unites India’s diversity.”
“The contributions of our freedom fighters and experts are the reason our Constitution is the world’s largest and unites India’s diversity,” the Chief Minister said, noting Dr Ambedkar’s assertion that the Constitution would serve as a guiding document for national unity.
Earlier, he offered floral tributes to the portraits of Bharat Mata and Dr Ambedkar, and a short film was screened. The CM also felicitated the winners of various competitions held to mark the occasion.
Recalling PM Modi’s 2015 address, he said the value of freedom often fades as people forget the sacrifices of the freedom struggle.
“Everyone talks only of rights. Rights are secured only when individuals develop the habit of fulfilling their duties. There can be no rights without duty,” he said.
CM Yogi Adityanath added that India has always respected the Constitution as supreme after its implementation.
“Our symbols and freedom fighters were honoured, and efforts were made to imbibe the core values on which the Constitution was framed. A nation that progresses while respecting these values cannot be halted,” he said.
He said PM Modi, during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, presented the vision of a ‘developed India’ and urged citizens to commit to the ‘Panch Pran (five vows)’ to build a self-reliant nation. The CM stressed freedom from a mentality of slavery and respect for the armed forces and police.
“If an individual errs, the entire system should not be blamed. They should be given the opportunity to correct themselves,” he said, cautioning against widening social divides for personal gain.
He said unity, integrity and respect for heritage, including India’s spiritual and cultural traditions, must remain a shared responsibility.
Disrespecting the Constitution, the CM said, would be an insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, freedom fighters, martyrs and the poor who gained democratic rights through it.
He highlighted that while many modern democracies extended voting rights to women much later, India granted universal adult franchise from the very first general election.
He said the Constitution’s provisions for reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were revolutionary steps toward social equality and inclusion.
“New India has moved rapidly to strengthen these constitutional values — from respecting heritage to ending the mentality of slavery and promoting unity and equality,” he said.
Referring to the events of November 26, 1949, when the drafting committee presented the original Constitution to the Constituent Assembly, he said every Indian should have a copy of the Constitution and the Preamble should be recited in every household.
Yogi Adityanath also spoke about the Constitution’s illustrations — such as Lord Rama returning to Ayodhya in the Pushpak Vimana, Lord Krishna imparting the Gita, and portraits of Mahatma Buddha and Emperor Ashoka — which, he said, embody India’s civilisational heritage.
(IANS)
