Chandigarh,November 25: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded a debate over why our constitution’s resolve to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic was not being implemented in letter and spirit by the Congress government during the specially convened one-day assembly session to mark Constitution Day and called upon all parties to introspect on this failure.
In a representation to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker, SAD legislators led by Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Bikram Singh Majithia said holding such a debate would be a befitting homage to the makers of our constitution who dreamed of securing justice, liberty and equality to every citizen of the country by mentioning all above rights and freedoms in the preamble of our constitution. “We should introspect on our failures and make a fresh resolve to correct them make India a far better place for the generations to come,” it added.
The SAD urged the speaker to hold a debate on why our constitution-makers’ dream of making India as an equal society was not fulfilled even after 70 years of implementing the constitution. “We feel ashamed that the leaders who were entrusted with unlimited powers to implement the constitution in the country did not do their job honestly,” it said adding that they just kept raising slogans to alleviate poverty but did nothing to eradicate it. In fact, their policies were aimed at widening the gap between the ‘Haves’ and ‘Have Nots’.
Reminding about the importance of the secular characteristics of the country, the SAD said that our constitution gives religious freedom to every citizen by strongly directing the state to ensure protection to the minorities from any kind of discrimination. “But thousands of innocent Sikhs including children, women, men and old people were brutally killed after the assassination of a Prime Minister in the streets of the capital of the country. Nobody came forward for the protection of a minority when they were being attacked by the goons of a ruling party as they had the patronage of the ruling government”.
The legislators said similarly even in the Vidhan Sabha the constitution was not followed in letter and spirit. “Elected representatives are not allowed to ask questions or file call attention motions. The ruling dispensation is even making a mockery of the anti-defection law by not taking action against AAP legislators even after they had resigned from the primary membership of their party and joined the Congress or made new fronts. The Speaker is not able to take any action against Ropar legislator Amarjit Sandoa who joined the Congress party in the presence of Rana K P Singh”.
The SAD legislators said no one’s rights were safe under the present government. They said Dalit Jagmel Singh died a horrible death but the government did not come to his aid in time or even assured prompt medical attention to him. He said the goodaism which was rampant in the State could be seen from the manner in which Akali Sarpanch Dalbir Dhilwan was murdered with even his legs being chopped off. Congress legislators are accusing their own government of tapping their phones even as farmers and teachers are being lathi charged.
The legislators said Punjab was even passing through a financial emergency with the finance minister himself proclaiming the same but the government was impervious to this even as chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was holidaying abroad.
The legislators said the Vidhan Sabha should not be made to go through the motions of celebrating Constitution Day if the government was not serious about protecting the life and liberty of its citizens and ensuring rule of law in the State.