SYNOPSIS of DEBATE ______(Proceedings Other Than Questions and Answers) ______Tuesday, December 01, 2015/ Agrahayana 10, 1937 (Saka) ______
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RAJYA SABHA _______ SYNOPSIS OF DEBATE _______ (Proceedings other than Questions and Answers) _______ Tuesday, December 01, 2015/ Agrahayana 10, 1937 (Saka) _______ Discussion on Commitment to India’s Constitution as Part of the 125th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - Contd. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR: We must be proud of our Constitution and thankful to our founding fathers for it. The Constitution envisaged a nation lived by the rule of law with equal rights and justice for all without any discrimination, freedom of expression and property rights. But rule of law is ineffective and repeatedly violated. Delayed justice is threatening the whole idea of citizenship. Violence has been repeatedly used as a political tool for several decades. Our Constitution and vision of our founding fathers continues to be violated and vitiated in states, institutions and around the country. In the last 75 years, the rule of law is being violated. We are still struggling to deal with the basic issue of poverty and justice even after 70 years of Independence. We should stay engaged in ensuring development, prosperity, equity and justice for all. A lot more needs to be done than making flowery speeches and help in transforming the country. SHRI K.C. TYAGI: Sincere efforts are needed in building of a country and society. Founding fathers of the Constitution of India ___________________________________________________ This Synopsis is not an authoritative record of the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha. 42 gave their best in framing this Constitution. We are tolerant people who have respect for one and all. Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru is the founder of modern India. There is no place for religion-based theocratic state in Kashmir. It is and will always remain integral part of India. The people of Kashmir will never accept two-nation theory. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhiji inspired Muslims of Kashmir to stay in India. There is no speaker from Muslims in Legislative Assemblies. There has been no Chief of Naval Staff from Muslims. Had DR. Ambedkar been alive, he would have never said that authority of religion should be imposed on politics and the Government. He would have never said that emotionality should dominate over rationality. We do not support your economic reforms. You have our support on coal and mines. Everybody contributed in the struggle for freedom which included Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal along with them, we also contributed in this struggle. It is a shared inheritance. SHRI DEREK O’BRIEN: Our constitution is one of the most inclusive, idealistic and most egalitarian books which has been written in the last 5000 years. The Constitution of the America is the shortest and we have the longest constitution in the world. We were the 25th country who got the Constitution and after us 150 more countries got their constitutions. Dr. Ambedkar made tremendous contribution to the Constitution of India. On this great occasion, along with celebration, it is time to have some reflection as well. Currently, one million manual scavengers are working in the country. That's why it is time to reflect. Our monumental constitution was prepared in under three years time. But for us, the Women Reservation Bill is pending for the last 19 years, same is the issue with GST. The work ethics is the second issue, which should be reflected upon. The constituent assembly did a great job, the members of the same were selected indirectly from the states. So in a way, they were precursors to this Rajya Sabha. That is the very basis of this Constitution. We must all respect this aspect. The importance of the Rajya Sabha should be respected, which is being compromised as shown by the number of ordinances issued recently. The Constituent Assembly was formed in 1948 and most of the drafting was done from 43 1948 to 1949, and Dr. Ambedkar gave his famous speech in November 1949. We all should respect the Constitution and its supremacy. Ms. Mamta Banerjee and the Prime Minister stated that the constitution is the only holy book. Another issue is about Federalism, and Secularism, which should be strengthened. In our Constitution, the concepts of liberty, equality and fraternity have been included, which were taken from French, the concept of Directive principals, included in the Constitution, were taken from Irish, the judicial concept was taken from Japan, the concept of Federalism was taken from Canada and Australia and whereas we adopted the concept of Planning commission from Soviet Union. In this regard I would like to suggest setting up of a Constituent Assembly Module, where the young generation can learn about the Constitution. SHRIMATI SASIKALA PUSHPA: .(Spoke in Tamil) SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE: Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar gave Constitution to the country. As Chairman of Drafting Committee, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar did a spectacular job in it. When on 26th November, 1949 Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar presented the draft of the Constitution to Dr. Rajender Prasad and Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, they said, "Baba Saheb Ambedkar, you are the real architect of the Constitution." He constituted " Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha". Baba Saheb Ambedkar continued to organise movement, he kept on presenting his views on equality before the people. He opposed casteism. Earlier caste system was based on work and not on birth. In original Hindu religion, caste system was based on work but later on 6400 castes came into being in the country and therefore, atmosphere of inequality developed in the country.Baba Saheb Ambedkar's philosophy was based on equality. Baba Saheb Ambedkar taught us that country is bigger than our language, religion, village and district. To strengthen the unity of India, Baba Saheb Ambedkar gave us constitution. I want to say this much that untouchability will not go by ___________________________________________________ . Synopsis of speech delivered by Hon’ble Member in Tamil will be published separately as supplement. 44 making law only. There is law, but still atrocities are being committed in every village. This Government has declared to celebrate 26th November as 'Constitution Day' every year. All the people have been given opportunity to express their views. Constitution is very good but people implementing it should also be good.Now, you should support all the bills and also give suggestions. It is not going to do any good by playing the role of opposition only. Therefore, you have to run the house collectively in a nice way. Atrocities are to be removed as envisaged in the Constitution of India. The constitution provided by Baba Saheb Ambedkar provides justice for all sections of society, therefore, discussion is being held on Constitution. For this, I salute the Government. You should cooperate with us. SHRI JESUDASU SEELAM: I stand here to pay my rich tributes to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Babu Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad and other Members of the Constituent Assembly, who laboriously gave us this piece of document which helped us throughout these years to live in peace, tranquility and keep the brotherhood alive. Today, especially on the year-long celebrations of 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, I would like to state that he was a great visionary. Dr. Ambedkar has very rightly done a beautiful thing. If you look at the editing of the Constitution, first 51 Articles are about the people, the citizens, the States, the Centre, the Fundamental Rights, the Directive Principles of State Policy, and, then, comes the President. It is 'the people' who have been given prime position while framing the Constitution. The people are the centrepiece of the Constitution. There are cardinal areas, that is, democracy, secularism, equality, liberty and justice. All these are there but equality is the core idea of Dr. Ambedkar. We are not saying that contradictions are not there now. There are contradictions. We are having liberty in order to reform our social system, which is so full of inequities, so full of inequalities, discrimination and other things, which conflict with our Fundamental Rights. Ultimately, the sovereignty of scriptures of all 45 religions must come to an end, if you want to have a united, integrated modern India. He was a visionary. In 1955, he predicted that Bihar would be bifurcated, that Madhya Pradesh would be bifurcated. It happened after so many years. Mr. Venkaiah Naidu was telling about the regional imbalances, that Hyderabad should be the second capital of India because of its strategic location. So many Defence undertakings are there. So, I want to ask Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, is it not that in this House every political party was present on that day and is it not the commitment of every political party to make a pre-condition of giving a 'Special Category' status to Andhra Pradesh which was deprived of the resources, which had to shift the entire machinery to a new place? It would have to make a new beginning in all respects. It is not important which party the Prime Minister belongs to. It is an institution. It is a Government assurance. That day, none of the political parties raised any objections. Now, how come there are alibis? The 'Special Category' status was announced to compensate the irreversible loss the Andhra Pradesh State Government is going to experience, both financial and otherwise. We have a lot many legislations for the weaker sections of the society. But every court is just interpreting the way which is not beneficial to the interest of these weaker sections. The Reservation Act was passed by the Rajya Sabha and then, the Lok Sabha got dissolved. It has to be taken up again. SHRI TIRUCHI SIVA: According to the views of several scholars of the world the average life of a national Constitution is only 17 years in the past 200 years.