The North News
New Delhi, November 26
President Droupadi Murmu has said the ideals at the heart of India’s Constitution — social, economic and political justice, along with liberty, equality and fraternity — continue to anchor the country’s democratic journey. Speaking at Constitution Day celebrations in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi on Wednesday, the President said she was pleased that members of Parliament had worked to realise the vision set out by the Constitution’s framers. President Murmu recalled that Constitution Day was instituted in 2015, during the 125th birth anniversary year of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. She said the decision to mark 26 November each year had proved meaningful, as it reaffirmed public faith in the Constitution and helped younger generations understand its values.
The President said India’s parliamentary system continues to stand as an example for many democracies, and the arguments made in its favour in the Constituent Assembly remain valid today. Describing the Constitution as a “document of national pride” and the “text of our national identity”, she said new criminal justice laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — reflect a shift towards justice rather than punishment.
She added that India’s democracy had gained strength across multiple dimensions, pointing to increasing voter participation, particularly among women. Voters from marginalised, rural and middle-class backgrounds, she said, were helping reinforce democratic institutions from the Panchayat level to Parliament.
President Murmu emphasised that the Constitution’s all-inclusive vision continues to guide governance, with the Directive Principles of State Policy offering direction to policymakers. She cited former Constituent Assembly chair Dr Rajendra Prasad, who stressed that the value of independence lay in making it meaningful for ordinary citizens. Parliament, she said, had acted in that spirit by working to improve lives through legislation.
India’s executive, legislature and judiciary, she added, had collectively strengthened national development and provided stability in public life. The country’s political traditions and constitutional system, she said, would be recognised “in golden letters” in future comparative studies of democracies.
The President said members of Parliament were “bearers, creators and witnesses” of India’s democratic traditions and expressed confidence that, under their leadership, the goal of becoming a developed nation would be achieved.
