New Delhi/ Nov,26 : Fourteen opposition parties – including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress – skipped the Constitution Day event Saturday in the parliament as they present a united front ahead of the start of the winter session next week. Attacking the centre, Congress’s Manickam Tagore said, “This government does not respect the Constitution.”
Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to the opposition leaders after the strategy meeting yesterday. All 14 opposition parties are on board to stand united in the winter session of parliament, sources in the party said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla were in attendance at the event in Central Hall this morning.
In his address, the Prime Minister said, “Constitution Day is the day to salute this House, where many of India’s leaders brainstormed to give us the Constitution of India. We also pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and all those who fought during India’s independence struggle.”
“Our Constitution binds our diverse country. It was drafted after many hindrances and united the princely states in the country,” he added. Friday morning, a senior Trinamool Congress leader – when asked whether his party will attend the Constitution Day events – responded, “Our party MPs will not be attending the function… The opposition is united.”
The Prime Minister, to mark the day, this morning tweeted: “Best wishes to our citizens on Constitution Day. On this special day, sharing a part of Dr. Ambedkar’s speech in the Constituent Assembly on 4th November 1948 in which he moved a motion for the adoption of the Draft Constitution as settled by the Drafting Committee (sic)”. In the post, he shared a speech by Dr BR Ambedkar, remembered as the “father of Indian Constitution”.
