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In her customary address to the nation on the eve of the 76th Republic Day, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, said that the Constitution has become a living document due to the millennia-old civic virtues of the country. Ms. Murmu also paid tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who chaired the Drafting Committee, and other members of the Constituent Assembly, who created a document that would guide the country’s progress. Connecting India’s journey as a modern Republic to its heritage, the President said the constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity have always been a part of India’s civilisation. Sceptics who doubted India’s prospects at the time of Independence have been proven wrong due to these inherent strengths of the country. The President highlighted the representative character of the Constituent Assembly, whose members were drawn from every part of, and communities in, the country, including 15 women. While women’s equality was at that time only a distant ideal in much of the world, Indian women were contributing to shaping the nation’s destiny, she noted. Reflecting on the progress over 75 years, Ms. Murmu commended the Union government’s efforts to move past the relics of the colonial era, particularly the “audacity of vision” of replacing colonial-era criminal laws with three new laws rooted in Indian traditions of jurisprudence.
The President strongly advocated the controversial proposal for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies as a means to redefine good governance. The draft Bill on simultaneous elections, introduced by the Narendra Modi government, is under review by a joint committee of Parliament. The President waded into the debate with the argument that synchronised elections would promote consistency in governance, prevent policy paralysis, mitigate resource diversion, and reduce financial burdens. It is a contentious topic and Opposition parties that are a part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance have opposed the plan on the ground that it violates the basic structure of the Constitution and undermines federalism. Not surprisingly, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has alleged that there is a “tendency” to impose a “One Nation, One Party” agenda by undermining the Opposition. The President could have stayed clear of this topic. The government will need to tread carefully to ensure that the First Citizen is not drawn into what is essentially a partisan political debate. Unity without uniformity is key to a more perfect union. And Republic Day is as good as any other day to reiterate that.
Published – January 27, 2025 12:20 am IST
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Republican journey: on the President’s address to the nation
