Constitution our guiding light: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the Constitution as a ‘living stream’ and said that it is acting as a guiding light at a time when “India is undergoing transformation”.

Addressing an event marking the Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister also paid homage to the victims of Mumbai terror attack and reiterated the country’s resolve that all terror groups challenging the security of India will be given a befitting reply.

India is going through a period of transformation and at such an important time, it is the Constitution of India that is “showing us the way and is a guiding light for us, the Prime Minister said. “Our Constitution is not merely a Book of Law, it is a continuously ever-flowing, living stream,” Modi said while adding, “Our Constitution is the guide to our present and our future.”

Noting that it was a matter of immense pride of the 75th year of Indian Constitution, Modi also paid tributes to the members of the Constituent Assembly and the Constitution on the occasion.

Recalling the words of first President Rajendra Prasad in his concluding address to the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, Modi said he had stated that India does not need anything more than a group of honest people who will keep the country’s interests above their own. “This sentiment of ‘nation first’ will keep alive the Constitution for centuries to come,” he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that Indians should get speedy justice and for this a new judicial code has been implemented. “The punishment-based system has now changed to a justice-based system,” he said.

Recalling the elaborate debates and discussions of the Constituent Assembly regarding the Constitution of India, Modi quoted Babasaheb Ambedkar and said: “Constitution is not a mere Lawyer’s document, it is a spirit, it’s always the spirit of age”. Adding that this spirit was imperative, he said the framers of the Constitution had provided us with the liberty to interpret the Constitution from time to time by taking appropriate decisions according to the country, time and situation. “Today every citizen has only one goal, to build a Viksit Bharat,” he said.

The Prime Minister underscored that the Constitution had met every need and expectation of the country. It was only by the power granted by the Constitution that was framed by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar it is in force even in Jammu and Kashmir today, he said.

“Our Constitution makers knew that India’s aspirations, and dreams will reach new heights with time. They knew that the needs of independent India and its citizens will change, and challenges will change. That is why they did not leave our Constitution as just a mere book of laws. Rather, they made it a living, continuously flowing stream,” Modi said.

“Today every citizen of the country has only one goal -- to build a developed India,” he said at the event which was attended by law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Supreme Court Bar Association of India President Kapil Sibal, among others.

He said, “The Constitution even encountered the dangerous times of Emergency faced by Indian Democracy.”

Modi remarked that the original copy of the Indian Constitution had pictures of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman, Bhagwan Buddha, Bhagwan Mahavira and Guru Gobind Singh. He said these symbols of Indian culture were given a place in the Constitution to ensure that it constantly keeps us aware and mindful of human values. “Human values are the basis of today’s Indian policies and decisions,” the Prime Minister said.

“I have tried to keep within the boundaries of the job designated to me by the Constitution. I have not tried any encroachment. I have tried to put forward my views within the boundaries. Only a hint is enough here, there is no need to say much,” Modi said on a lighter note while concluding his speech.

The Prime Minister also released the Annual Report of the Indian Judiciary 2023-24 at the event.