Mamata highlights importance of Constitution amid democratic and federal challenges

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday called for the vigilant protection of India’s Constitution, warning that democracy, secularism and federalism are under threat. Speaking on Constitution Day, she stressed the need to uphold the document’s guiding principles amid growing political and social challenges.

Banerjee described the Constitution as the “backbone of the nation”, praising it for uniting India’s diverse cultures, languages and communities into an integrated federal framework. She paid tribute to the framers of the Constitution, particularly Dr B.R. Ambedkar, and acknowledged the contributions of Bengal’s members of the Constituent Assembly in shaping the nation’s founding document.

“Today, on this Constitution Day, I pay my deepest respect and tribute to the great Constitution that we have, to the great document that binds us in India,” Banerjee said in a post on X.

She emphasised that safeguarding the Constitution is particularly crucial at a time when democratic principles are perceived to be under threat. “Now, when democracy is at stake, when secularism is in an endangered situation, when federalism is being bulldozed, at this critical time, we must protect the valuable guidance that our Constitution provides,” she added.

Constitution Day, or Samvidhan Divas, marks the official adoption of the Indian Constitution on 26 November 1949. The Government of India formally declared 26 November as Constitution Day in 2015 to commemorate the day and highlight the enduring significance of the Constitution in upholding the country’s democratic values.

With PTI Inputs