Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and others during the 76th Republic Day celebration at KPCC office, in Bengaluru.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday exhorted Congress workers to unitedly fight for the country’s unity and for saving the Constitution.
“The 76th Republic Day is monumental. Protecting the Constitution and acting according to it are very important. But today’s central government is sidelining all these values. Thus, citizens are deprived of their fundamental rights,” he said.
He was speaking after hoisting the national flag at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Office on the occasion of the 76th Republic Day.
He said that on country’s independence has been protected on account of the contributions of Congress, Ambedkar and Nehru. “However, prominent national leaders like Amit Shah are insulting the Constitution. They are disrespecting the architect of the Constitution,” he said.
“Tomorrow I am participating in a massive programme at Ambedkar’s birthplace (Mhow) in which lakhs of people will participate. We will raise our voice against how Modi and Shah are endangering national freedom,” the AICC president added.
Terming the Constitution the soul of the nation, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said there was a need to protect the Constitution.
Stating that the Constitution is as necessary to the nation as breathing is to humans, Shivakumar said: “It was under Nehru’s leadership that Babasaheb Ambedkar was given the responsibility to formulate the Constitution.”
Stating that Ambedkar drafted the Constitution to ensure social equality and justice, the deputy chief minister said many countries had considered the Indian Constitution as their role model.
He stated that they were organising a convention under the AICC’s leadership to celebrate 75 years of the adaptation of the Constitution.