IT IS the responsibility of the executive, legislature and the judiciary to work together to make the lives of common people better in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday. Addressing a special event on the occasion of 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, Murmu also said the fundamental duties of every citizen had been clearly defined in the country’s founding document, which lay stress on protecting the nation’s unity and integrity, promoting harmony and ensuring the dignity of women. Constitutional ideals get strength from the active participation of the executive, legislature and the judiciary, as well as all citizens, she said. “In accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the executive, legislature, and the judiciary to work together to make the lives of common people better,” she added.

 

The President said the aspirations of the people found expression in the many legislations enacted by Parliament and, during the past few years, the government took many steps for the development of all sections of society, especially the weaker ones. “Such decisions have improved the lives of the people and are providing them new opportunities for development,” she said. Murmu said she was happy to note that, with the efforts of the Supreme Court, the country’s judiciary was making efforts to make the judicial system more effective. India’s Constitution is a living and progressive document and the country’s farsighted Constitution-makers provided for a system of adopting new ideas, according to the needs of the changing times, Murmu said. “We have achieved many ambitious goals related to social justice and inclusive development through the Constitution,” she said. The fundamental duties of every citizen have been clearly mentioned in the Constitution, she said. “Protecting the unity and integrity of India, promoting harmony in society, ensuring the dignity of women, protecting the environment, developing a scientific temper, safeguarding public property and taking the nation to higher levels of achievement are included among the fundamental duties of citizens,” she added.

 

With a new approach, a new identity was achieved for India in the comity of nations and the Constitution-makers had given a directive for India to play an important role in promotion of international peace and security, the president said. “Today, besides being a leading economy, our country is playing this role very well as the ‘Vishwa-Bandhu’,” she asserted. Independence will be jeopardised if parties place creed above country, says Dhankhar: VICE President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday invoked Dr. B R Ambedkar to say that “our Independence will be put in jeopardy a second time” if parties placed creed above country. He also cautioned that disturbance as a strategy threatened democratic institutions. It is time to restore the “sanctity of our democratic temples through constructive dialogue, debate and meaningful discussion to serve our people effectively”, Dhankhar said.

 

The Constitution’s opening words, “We the People of India”, carry deep meaning, establishing citizens as the ultimate authority, with Parliament serving as their voice, the vice president asserted. “In contemporaneous times, with decorum and discipline cliff hanging in parliamentary discourse”, Dhankhar said there was a need to resolve by reiterating the pristine glory of the Constituent Assembly’s embellished functioning. Noting that the Constitution ingeniously established democracy’s three pillars -- Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary, each with a defined role, the vice president said, “Democracy is best nurtured with its constitutional institutions being in sync, tandem and togetherness, adhering to their jurisdictional areas.” In functioning of these organs of the state, domain exclusivity is quintessence to making optimal contributions in steering Bharat toward unprecedented heights of prosperity and equity, he asserted. “Evolution of a structured interactive mechanism amongst those at the helm of these institutions would bring greater convergence in serving the nation,” Dhankhar said. “Our Constitution assures fundamental rights and ordains fundamental duties. These define informed citizenship, reflecting Dr Ambedkar’s caution that internal conflicts, more than external threats, endanger democracy,” the vice president noted. Dhankhar said it was time to fully commit to “our fundamental duties -- protecting national sovereignty, fostering unity, prioritising national interests, and safeguarding our environment”.