High Commission of India

Dhaka

Remarks by HC for Constitution Day, 2019

My Fellow Indians,

It is my pleasure to greet you today on the occasion of our Constitution Day. As you know, on 26 November 1949, the Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly. It in turn, came into effect on 26 January, 1950 and this day is celebrated as our Republic Day. The year, 2020 will mark 70 years of the adoption of the Constitution.

2. It is impossible to understate the importance of this document - the Constitution in our lives. The fundamental rights that we enjoy as Indian citizens - Right to Equality, to Freedom and the Right to Freedom of Religion are enshrined in the Constitution. The adoption of the Constitution created the framework of the Rule of Law which governs our lives. While we enjoy our Fundamental Rights, the Constitution also lays down the Fundamental Duties of the Citizens.

3. One of those Fundamental Duties is 'To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement'. For the Indian Diaspora, this duty holds particular salience. With every success of yours, India's global stature rises higher. I urge each of you to contribute to the cause of Nation-Building through successes in your chosen fields. Indian Diaspora can also actively participate and contribute in flagship schemes of Government of India such as Swach Bharat Mission, Make in India, etc.

5. It is a fact that the Constitution of India is the lengthiest written Constitution in the world. This is particularly because of the breadth of topics that it covers. While our individual rights and duties flow from it, so do the core fundamentals of our democracy - our independent judiciary, our system of free elections overseen by an independent Election Commission, the appointment of the President of India and the system of local government or Panchayats.

6. Needless to say, the foresight of the makers of our Constitution has held us in good stead and continue to guide us. While we continue to enact laws to govern ourselves in these changed times, the basic structure of the Constitution has not altered. The ethos of our Democratic, Sovereign and Secular nation as laid out in the Preamble which we just read remains the same. And this strength of our constitution - its balance of rigidity and flexibility and its core principles have influenced lawmakers across the world in drafting their own Constitutions.

7. Today is a pertinent occasion to remember the Chief Architect of our Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. The Drafting Committee under him not only gave shape to the principles of sovereignty & adult franchise, etc that guided our National Movement, but also laid out the roadmap to achieve our aspirations of Social Justice. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's lifelong dedication to Social Justice influenced the Directive Principles of State Policy which contains the positive obligations of the state towards its citizens for ensuring social and economic democracy. 

8. Here in Bangladesh, we endeavor to forge mutually beneficial relations as guided by the Directive Principles and our Neighborhood First policy. As you know, the India and Bangladesh relationship is based on history, language, secularism and several other commonalities including Shared Martyrdom. As Indian citizens living in Bangladesh, you are witness to this close partnership and active contributors to its continued strengthening. As we strive to take forward our relationship to newer heights, we invite you to be partners in enriching the fraternal ties between our nations.

5. Friends, you would be interested to know that the Constituent Assembly took 2 years, 11 months and 17 days to create our Constitution and over the years, this living document has rooted and enriched our lives. It has made us citizens of a truly vibrant democracy. All of us took part in celebrating this Democratic tradition this year, when we elected our representatives during the 17th Lok Sabha Elections. Today, as we celebrate the adoption of our Constitution, I thank you for your participation. I also look forward to engaging with you in various events over the year as we celebrate '70 years of the Constitution/Samvidhan'.

Jai Hind.

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