 "Indian Constitution is not only a book but an idea and commitment: PM Modi")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that stories of many forgotten freedom fighters and incidents related to the struggle for India's independence are being brought forth during the ongoing 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
Speaking at the release of veteran journalist Ram Bahadur Rai's book, 'Bharatiya Samvidhan: Ankahi Kahani' (Indian Constitution: Untold stories), Modi stressed that it will give a fillip to this campaign and will make the country's memory of the past stronger in the future.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh were among those present at the event, while Modi made the remarks in a video address.
Praising the book, the prime minister said it introduces readers to various aspects of the Constitution.
He expressed confidence that the book along with the history of independence and the untold chapters of our Constitution will give a new thinking to the youth of the country and broaden their discourse.
India's Constitution is not merely a book but is an idea and commitment, and also a symbol of the nation's confidence in its independence, he said.
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Dwelling on the living nature of the Constitution, Modi said India has by nature been a free-thinking country, and inertia is not part of our basic nature.
"From the formation of the Constituent Assembly to its debates, from the adoption of the Constitution to its present stage, we have consistently seen a dynamic and progressive Constitution. We have argued, raised questions, debated and made changes," he said.
Our Constitution came before people in the form of vision of a free India which could fulfil the dreams of many generations of the country, he said.
Modi noted that duties and rights are related, and an emphasis on duties "strengthens our rights as well". "Synergy of rights and duties is what makes our Constitution so special," he said.
Observing that the book has been released on a day when the then President Rajendra Prasad had given his nod to the first amendment made to the Constitution, he said the development only showed the Constitution's dynamism.