JALANDHAR: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday exhorted people to uphold the spirit of Indian constitution now under threat by some powers from within the country.
Addressing a gathering here during a function to mark the 131st birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, Mann said some people are trying to undermine the basic character of the constitution as envisioned by Ambedakar.
Ambedkar, who was also the country's first law minister, was the chairman of the committee that drafted the Constitution. Mann said that these attempts are not being made by the foreigners or the British but by "some of our own people", and that they need to be stopped before they succeed.
According to a release, the CM said that Ambedkar empowered the people by giving them the right to vote which helped them replace the political giants who once ruled the state.
Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Manpreet Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia and several others were decimated by people because of the power of vote, he said. "Democracy is a pillar of our constitution and therefore any move to tamper with its values will not be tolerated at any cost," he said.
Drawing a parallel with Pakistan, the CM said the reason the neighbouring country is in dire straits is because of its weak constitutional democracy. He said that it is due to Ambedkar's vision that constitutional values have flourished in India as against Pakistan, where they floundered.
He urged the people to contribute towards making an ideal society by following the principles of equality and liberty as enshrined in the Constitution. Mann hailed Ambedkar as a great scholar, jurist, economist, social reformer, statesman, and one of the most towering personalities in the world history.
He said the constitution was the result of Ambedkar's unparalleled hard work, dedication, and farsightedness. Ambedkar was not only a leader of weaker sections, but belonged to the entire nation, he said.