Prez to address joint sitting of Parliament to mark 75 yrs of Constitution

President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on Tuesday, kick-starting year-long celebrations to mark 75 years of the adoption of India's Constitution.

The government on Monday announced that a new website -- https: //constitution75.com -- has been created to enable citizens to engage with the legacy of the Constitution through interactive activities and resources. Mass readings of its Preamble will take place in schools, cities and villages around the country, it also said.

The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on December 9, 1946 in the Central Hall of the old Parliament House building. Decorated elegantly for the occasion, the chamber wore a new look on that day with "a constellation of bright lamps hanging from the high ceilings" and also from the brackets on its walls, according to the Lok Sabha website.

"Overwhelmed and jubilant as they were, the hon'ble members sat in semi-circular rows facing the Presidential dais. The desks which could be warmed electrically were placed on sloping green-carpeted terraces.

"Those who adorned the front row were Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Acharya J B Kripalani," it said.

The dedicate website lets people learn the historic facets of the Constitution and its legendary makers.

Union Culture Secretary Arunish Chawla told reporters during a curtain-raiser briefing at the National Media Centre here that the occasion is an opportunity to bring awareness about the "full scale and scope" of the visionary document, connect with the Preamble and celebrate the "dynamic" nature of the Constitution.

It is also an opportunity to appreciate the calligraphic art of the Constitution, he said, and announced that the celebrations will also include a special project -- a booklet and an exhibition on this aspect of the Constitution.

Chawla in his PPT presentation shared that to commemorate the landmark occasion, an event will take place at the Central Hall of the old building of Parliament and it will be presided by President Murmu while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also take part in the celebrations.

To mark the occasion, the government will also release a commemorative coin and stamp.

The iconic old Parliament building, an architectural splendour and a historic landmark designed by Sir Herbert Baker that guided the destiny of India for nearly a century, was inaugurated on January 18, 1927 by the then Viceroy Lord Irwin.

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023. Soon thereafter, the old Parliament building was rechristened as 'Samvidhan Sadan' with proceedings shifting to the modern complex erected in its vicinity.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, and two other Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat interacted with mediapersons after the presentation by the Union culture secretary.

Rijiju, in response to a query, said Prime Minister Modi will not be addressing the event and accused "some of the Opposition parties" of giving reactions without knowing the actual arrangement.

The Speaker, the vice president and the president of India will speak, he said.

"Secondly, we have made sitting arrangements for the leader of opposition of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the dais. Without knowing anything, this kind of reaction on a very solemn occasion is condemnable," Rijiju said.

His remarks came in the wake of leaders of various INDIA bloc parties having written to the Lok Sabha Speaker to allow opposition leaders of both the Houses to speak during the Constitution Day function.

Rijiju termed the event on Tuesday in New Delhi a "historic occasion".

"We will sit in the very same chamber where the Constituent Assembly sittings happened and the Constitution was adopted," he said.

Chawla, during his presentation, said the commemorative portal urges people to read the Preamble of the Constitution, record a video and upload it on the website to get a certificate.

The landing page of the website carries the words 'Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Swabhiman'.

Mass readings of the Preamble will also be held at special gram sabhas, art of the Preamble will be created on walls of panchayat offices and schools in the villages, and events will be held in various state capitals, including exhibition of true copies of the Constitution, the government said.

"The Constituent Assembly took almost three years (two years, eleven months and seventeen days to be precise) to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India. During this period, it held eleven sessions covering a total of 165 days.

"Of these, 114 days were spent on the consideration of the Draft Constitution," according to the Lok Sabha website.

Sharing more details, the ministry said a short film dedicated to the glory of the Constitution of India will be presented on Tuesday and books titled 'Making of the Constitution of India: A Glimpse' and 'Making of the Constitution of India & its Glorious Journey' will be released. The booklet dedicated to the art of the Constitution will also be released.

President Murmu will also release translated versions of the Constitution in Sanskrit and Maithili, and there will be a ceremonial reading of the Preamble led by the president, it said.