President Droupadi Murmu to address special session of Parliament to mark 75 years of Constitution 

Opposition leaders should get an opportunity to speak on the historic occasion, say parties in joint letter to Lok Sabha Speaker

President Droupadi Murmu will address a special session of Parliament at the Central Hall of the old Parliament building on Tuesday (November 25, 2024) to mark 75 years of the Constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will attend the celebrations.

The INDIA parties met on Monday (November 25, 2024) morning to discuss their stand on the joint session. After deliberations, they sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, signed by 15 leaders. In the letter, they noted that Mr. Dhankhar and Mr. Modi too were scheduled to address the function. “We believe that, in the best traditions and interests of Parliamentary democracy, the Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) in both Houses should also be given an opportunity to speak on this historic occasion,” the letter said. As per sources in the Opposition, it was only after their letter, that the schedule for the day was amended to remove Mr. Modi from the list of speakers.

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PM not among speakers: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the Opposition’s claim. “The problem with some of the Opposition parties is that without knowing the actual arrangement, they started giving reactions. The Prime Minister is not even speaking on Tuesday (November 25, 2024) at the function. The Speaker, the Vice-President and the President will speak,” he said at a press conference to brief on Tuesday’s (November 25, 2024) plans.

He said the government had made arrangements for the Leaders of Opposition of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to sit on the dais. “Without knowing anything, this kind of reaction on a very solemn occasion is condemnable,” Mr. Rijiju said. The Union Minister also said that the Constitution Day celebration was above politics and was a celebration of the country.

Preamble reading

At the same press conference, Union Culture Secretary Arunish Chawla said a special website had been created to mark the year-long celebrations. The website urges people to read the Preamble of the Constitution, record a video and upload it on the website to get a certificate.

The Culture Secretary said mass readings of the Preamble would be held in schools across the country. The government would also release a commemorative coin and stamp to mark the occasion.

Published - November 25, 2024 08:38 pm IST