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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday informed that President Droupadi Murmu will address both Houses of Parliament tomorrow on the occasion of Constitution Day. He said that this celebration was a tribute to the Constitution makers.
The event is being organised to mark 75 years of the Constituent Assembly's adoption of the Constitution on November 26, 1949, however, it came into effect on January 26, 1950. "I want to tell every citizen of the country that this is not just a celebration of the Parliament of India. This is a celebration of the country. In a way, we are honouring the Constitution of India and bringing its contents before the people of the country. Secondly, we are paying tribute to the makers of the Constitution. This celebration will go on for a year. Tomorrow, when the President will address the members of both Houses, I believe there will not be party politics or ideological differences. We, as Indians, will celebrate Constitution Day. This evening we will go to the President and invite her to tomorrow's program," Rijiju said in a press conference. Reacting to the opposition's demand that the Leader of Opposition (LoP) be made part of the dias (platform) for tomorrow's Constitution Day program, Rijiju "condemned" them for reacting without being aware of the actual arrangements. "The problem with some opposition parties is that they have started reacting without knowing the actual arrangements. The Prime Minister is not even speaking at the function tomorrow. Only the Lok Sabha Speaker, Vice President and the President of India will speak. Secondly, we have made arrangements for the opposition leaders of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to sit on the dais. Without knowing anything, this kind of reaction on a very solemn occasion itself is condemnable," Rijiju said. Earlier, Congress MP KC Venugopal slammed the government for "demolishing" the spirit of the Constitution. "That is not a demand, that is what we deserved, the entire opposition deserved. When we are talking about the Constitution, the Constitution clearly projects the role of opposition. Along with the treasury branches, the role of the Opposition is also equal as per the Constitution. Leader of opposition is a constitutional position. You are celebrating Constitution Day, and demolishing the spirit of the Constitution. You are making it a one-sided show, as a 'Sarkar' program. You are demolishing the spirit of the Constitution, which we cannot agree. The entire opposition leaders wrote a letter to the Speaker and Chairman, inviting his attention to this issue and we are thinking that there should be a positive reply from the other side," the Congress MP said. Speaking on Constitution Day scheduled to be celebrated on November 26, the Lok Sabha Speaker said on Monday morning that it was a day to remember Babasaheb Ambedkar's sacrifice and dedication. Birla informed that President Droupadi Murmu will recite the Preamble of the Constitution. "We adopted our Constitution on 26 November and it is a day to remember the sacrifice and dedication of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the people who made our Constitution. In the 75-year journey of democracy, India's democracy has also strengthened and that democracy has come to us from the basic spirit of the Constitution... Constitution Day is being celebrated on 26 November under the leadership of the President and the President will recite the Preamble of the Constitution so that we can express our gratitude towards the Constitution and the basic spirit and power of the Constitution can reach the people. I hope that this Constitution Day will become a mass movement and we will all express our gratitude towards the Constitution and the people who contributed to it. By carrying forward the basic duties and responsibilities of the Constitution, we will also realise our dream of 'Viksit Bharat'," Birla said. (ANI)
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