Constitution Day does not mean excluding Opposition:Anand Sharma

Congress leader Anand Sharma on Tuesday hits out the BJP government saying the "Constitution Day" is a programme initiated by the current government where the Opposition is not allowed to raise the voice.

Speaking to media, Sharma said, "Republic Day is celebrated on January 26 every year, it is Modi government which started the 'Constitution Day'. What kind of democracy is this in which only President, Prime Minister, Vice President, and Speaker of Lok Sabha have a voice while the Opposition has no role? This is not what the Indian Constitution says. It does not say that only government programs should be conducted."

 

"In the constitution, not only the government but the Opposition and other political parties are included as part of the legislative process. It is a government program it excludes the entire Opposition, how can it be called a Parliamentary democracy," he added.

Earlier today, Opposition parties staged a protest outside the parliament on the occasion of Constitution Day while a joint sitting of both the houses was underway in the Central Hall.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and party leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, AK Antony among others boycotted the joint-session and protested outside the Parliament premises in front of the Ambedkar Statue opposing government formation in Maharashtra by BJP.

Constitution Day is celebrated to mark the adopting of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on this day in 1949.

November 26, which was earlier celebrated as Law Day, marks the day when India had adopted its Constitution back in 1949, more than two years after attaining independence from the British rule.

The Constitution came into force on 26th January 1950, marking the beginning of a new era in the history of the Indian Republic.

The Constitution day was first celebrated in 2015 as a mark of tribute to India's first Law Minister Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who played a pivotal role in the drafting of the Indian Constitution.

The declaration regarding the same was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, 2015, while laying the foundation stone of Statue of Equality in Mumbai.