Rajya Sabha LIVE | 'Those who burnt copies of Constitution are trying to teach us': Kharge
India's Constitution has stood the test of time: Nirmala Sitharaman
India's Constitution has stood the test of time in the last 75 years of its existence, even as most of the 50 countries that framed their constitution around the same time have rewritten or changed features of their Constitutions, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday (December 16).
Initiating the discussion on the 'Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India' in the Rajya Sabha, she paid homage to the 389 members of the Constituent Assembly, including 15 women, who took up the arduous challenge and prepared the Constitution for India in a very challenging environment.
The Constitution of India "has stood the test of time," she said.
"Today we are extremely proud of the way India's democracy is growing. As the country marks the 75th year of its Constitution, it is time to reaffirm our commitment to build India, that is Bharat, that shall uphold the spirit enshrined in this sacred document," she said.
Stating that India and its Constitution stand out in a separate league of its own, Sitharaman said post the second World War, over 50 countries had become independent and they had their constitution written.
"But many have changed their constitutions, not just amended them, but literally changed the entire feature of their constitution. But our Constitution has stood the test of time; of course, it yielded itself to very many amendments," she said, adding that amendments were the need of the hour.
Rajya Sabha will debate on the issue on Monday and Tuesday (December 16 and 17).
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said time would not be a constraint and as many speakers willing to speak would be accommodated by extending the duration of the discussion.
In Rajya Sabha, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "Majrooh Sultanpuri and Balraj Sahni were both jailed in 1949. During one of the meetings organised for the mill workers in 1949, Majrooh Sultanpuri recited a poem that was written against Jawaharlal Nehru and therefore he had to go to jail. He refused to render an apology for the same and was jailed...Congress's record of curtailing freedom of speech didn't confine it to these two people. "Nehru", a political biography which was written by Michael Edwards in 1975 was banned. They banned also a film called "Kissa Kursi Ka" just because it questioned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son..."
Congress brought in first Constitutional amendment to curb freedom of expression: Sitharaman
The Supreme Court in 1950 had ruled in favour of the Communist magazine 'Cross Roads' and the RSS organisational magazine 'Organizer'. But in response, the (then) interim government thought that there was a need for a first Constitutional amendment and that was brought in by the INC and it was essentially to curb the freedom. So India, a democratic country which prides itself even today about freedom of expression saw the first interim government coming up with a Constitutional amendment which was to curb the freedom of speech of Indians and that within one year of adoption of the Constitution: Nirmala Sitharaman