A festival to awaken national pride and patriotism

New Delhi: Republic Day is not only an occasion to take pride in our identity as Indians but also an opportunity for the citizens of our country to reiterate our resolve to promote equality and brotherhood in the country.

This year we are celebrating our 73rd Republic Day. This journey of our republic began on 26 January 1950 when we took a pledge to abide by and be faithful to the principles enshrined in our Constitution. The day our Constitution came into force, India became a fully sovereign democratic republic. The Constitution has been our guiding force in the nation’s journey as a mature democracy among a group of nations.

The task of drafting the Constitution of India was done by Dr. B.R. It was assigned to a seven-member committee under the chairmanship of Ambedkar. The Constituent Assembly held intense deliberations over a period of two years, 11 months and 18 days spread over 11 sessions, during which the Constitution of India took shape which was adopted on 26 November 1949. January 26, 1950 was the momentous day when, at last, the decades-long struggle for true Swaraj finally bore fruit and the supremacy of the sovereign will of the people was really established.

Our Constituent Assembly played a dual role in view of the insurmountable task of nation building after independence. On one hand was the task of making an enlightened constitution for independent India and on the other hand, to play the role of a legislature for the nascent nation. The Constituent Assembly of India served as the first Parliament of independent India. It is an interesting historical fact that Dr. Rajendra Prasad presided over the sittings of the House when the House met as Constituent Assembly while Ganesh Mavalankar presided as Speaker when the House met as Legislature .

Our Constituent Assembly performed the functions of the Provisional Parliament of India in the interval between the commencement of our Constitution and the formation of the new Parliament after the first general elections (October 25, 1951–February 21, 1952).

May 13, 1952 was the historic date when the first sitting of the newly elected first Lok Sabha representing the hopes and aspirations of 36 crore citizens of India took place.

Since then, in seven and a half decades of this glorious journey, our Constitution has not only upheld the hopes and aspirations of 135 crore population but has also acted as an unbroken ray of light, guiding us on the path of building a great guides on. and resilient country.

Representative institutions and democratic traditions have always been an integral part of our rich heritage. That is why when India adopted the modern form of democratic structure of governance after independence, it was a seamless transition which was highly praised all over the world. Today, as we celebrate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to mark the 75th anniversary of our independence, it is time for us to evaluate the gains made so far and strive for a future action plan to build a New India. The time has come. We have to ensure that our institutions and governance ensure inclusiveness and participation of our population in our development journey, especially our women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and all other marginalized sections become equal partners in our growth story.

Our Parliament is playing a vital role in the all round development of the nation by adopting several parliamentary measures to ensure free and fair discussion and dialogue. These instruments have enabled the members to raise the concerns of the people in the House and draw the attention of the government towards their satisfactory resolution and ensure transparency and accountability of the executive.

To ensure that best legislative practices are shared, a national portal is being planned which will act as a repository of proceedings of Parliament and all State/UT Legislatures in the country. Simultaneously, measures are being taken to provide assistance for capacity building of Members of Parliament. Research support is being provided to members to help them participate better and more meaningfully in matters brought before the Parliament. A dedicated Parliamentary Research Team is being constituted for this purpose. Efforts are on to reform and strengthen the parliamentary committee system to make it more effective.

We aim to make our legislatures a platform where meaningful, positive and result oriented discussions take place; a legislature where all parties are able to express their opinion; A legislature where we are able to reach a resolution through constructive dialogue while respecting differing views. It is also time to visit our country to take stock and review the laws that were made during the pre-independence era to make them more relevant to our present needs and challenges of the future. For this, all political parties have to develop a constructive and healthy understanding through mutual dialogue.

Republic Day is an occasion for the people’s representatives and all the citizens of this proud nation to reaffirm their faith in the ideals enshrined in our Constitution. Babasaheb Ambedkar, in his speech before the Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1948, had underlined that the basis of constitutional morality is to keep the values ​​enshrined in the constitution paramount.

Republic Day is also an occasion when we as citizens consider our responsibility in the discharge of our duties as we cherish our fundamental rights.

Let us celebrate this Republic Day as a festival and firmly commit ourselves to fulfill our duties to bring happiness, prosperity and better quality of life to all our citizens keeping in view the vision of our Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. rededicate. To build an ideal democracy with morality at its core, discipline in the hearts of its citizens, and where everyone fulfills his duties and rights of all are protected. This is the vision that guides our Constitution, and it is this vision that should guide our future.

With this belief, I wish all my countrymen a very Happy Republic Day.

Om Birla is the Speaker of Lok Sabha