Constitution proved naysayers wrong, still going strong after 74 years: Ravivarma Kumar

Bengaluru: Constitution Day should be celebrated as it is a beacon of hope for democracy when most of the constitutions have collapsed the world over, said legal expert Prof Ravivarma Kumar on Sunday. 

He was speaking after unveiling a bust of the Constitution's preamble during the first day of the Maha Dharani - a three-day Satyagraha against the Centre's "anti-farmer policies" — at Freedom Park. The Dharani is being organised under the aegis of Samyukta Horata - Karnataka — an umbrella forum of 58 organisations. 

"The Sangh Parivar predicted the Constitution's collapse in five years but we are going strong after 74 years," Kumar said and added that no person or force has succeded in undermining it. 

Citing the example of former prime minister Indira Gandhi to prove his point, Kumar said, "Indira Gandhi sought to undermine the Constitution by imposing the Emergency. Far from succeeding, she lost the elections and repented the move." 

The former advocate-general recalled that emphasising social justice was a great aspect of the Constitution and lashed out at prominent communities, mutt pontiffs and other vested interests for opposing the caste census. 

Academician Purushottama Bilimale recalled that exactly three years ago (November 26, 2020), at 5.30 pm, around 3 lakh farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western UP came to Burari in Delhi to protest against the three farm laws of the Central government. 

Terming Delhi a polluted city for its horrendous pollution levels and metaphorically for the mindset of the rulers there, Bilimale said a resident of the capital like him feels suffocated while coming to "good cities" such as Bengaluru. 

"Despite being enticed by the Centre to go to Burari for talks, the farmers stood their ground and instead took base at five borders of Delhi, approximately 30 km away from the capital, and began their historic protest," he said. 

This spontaneous reaction, audacity to oppose the offers by the government and the stubbornness to prolong the protest for months were reasons behind the farmers' eventual success, Bilimale added.

He lamented that the youth are more interested in events like Kambala than those that directly affect their lives.