On the eve of a joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament, to be addressed by President Droupadi Murmu to mark 75 years of the Constitution, the Government and the Opposition sparred over the list of speakers. Leaders of various parties in the INDIA bloc wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to allow leaders of the Opposition in both Houses to speak during the function in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament building. “We are writing in the context of the function being held tomorrow (Tuesday) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. We understand that the function will be addressed by the President, Vice President and the Prime Minister. 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. Hours later the government hit back, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accusing “some of the Opposition parties” of giving reactions without knowing the actual arrangement. He said Prime Minister Modi will not be addressing the event. According to the schedule of the event, Speaker Birla will deliver the welcome speech, followed by a speech by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and an address by President Murmu. A commemorative coin and a stamp to mark the 75th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution and three books on the Constitution will be released. “The problem with some of the Opposition parties is that without knowing the actual arrangement they start giving reactions. The Prime Minister is not even speaking tomorrow (Tuesday) at the function. The Speaker, the Vice President and the President of India will speak,” Rijiju said. “Secondly, we have made sitting arrangements for the Leader of Opposition of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the dais. Without knowing anything, this kind of reaction on a very solemn occasion is condemnable,” he said. The Union minister also said that the Constitution Day celebration was above politics and is a celebration of the country. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi took potshots at the Opposition. In his customary pre-session speech, Modi said the Winter Session of Parliament is “special in many ways, with the most significant aspect being the 75-year journey of our Constitution”. “This is a momentous occasion for democracy. Tomorrow, we will collectively begin the celebration of the 75th year of our Constitution in the Constitution Hall. The Constitution framers debated every point in great detail while drafting the Constitution, resulting in this excellent document. A significant pillar of this is our Parliament and its members. It is essential for Parliament to engage in healthy discussions where as many people as possible contribute. Unfortunately, some individuals rejected by the people are continuously attempting to control Parliament through disruptive tactics for their political gains,” he said. Hitting back, Rajya Sabha MP and Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said RSS mouthpiece Organiser had in 1949 attacked the Constitution saying that it had not drawn inspiration from Manusmriti and in 1950 carried a bitter condemnation of B R Ambedkar himself.
