It’s high time the Constitution of India was implemented in word and deed. This was the overarching sentiment of a cross-section of students Newsline spoke to on the eve of Republic Day.
Tanjeet Kaur, a student of Law Department at Panjab University, summed up the sentiments of many when she said, “Even after 70 years of the Constitution formation, we still have many British-era laws in India. The lawmakers must realise that we live in the 21st century and many of these laws need to be revisited.”
Vinay Kumar, another student of law, underlined the importance of giving citizens a space for dissent. “Everyone should be given freedom to express his views but unfortunately we don’t see this. Those who try to question the people in power are slapped with sedition or defamation charges. It has become a trend now, such laws need amendments. Sedition is a British-era law and it was used by Britishers to silence the freedom voices but now we are using same law even after Independence on our own people.”
PU students who turned violent while protesting against fee hike in 2017 were charged with sedition.
Simran Singh, a student of law department, lamented that there was no change in the polity and political discourse in the country. “With time things change, so do we. The world is never static, it’s dynamic but our politics has not changed.”
R-Day, she said, should be a time for introspection. “More than celebrations we need to fully implement and follow the Constitution,” said Simran.
Talking to Newsline, Pallavi Sahota of the Centre for Public Health, said India must evolve as a republic. “We can’t do this by merely sending wishes on WhatsApp or by putting stickers on our vehicles. Elders need to be more responsible as kids learn from them.”
A holiday, said Sahota, isn’t the right way to celebrate R-Day. “I don’t think there should be a national holiday on January 26. This should be a normal working day and the focus should be on organising seminars and other awareness programmes,” she said.
For Deepak Rathee, a student of Physical Education department, the day carries a lot of weight because it also happens to be his birthday. “It’s a special day for the nation but it is more precious to me because it’s my birthday too. It is a day when our Constitution was formed after a long walk to freedom. We need to be more sincere to those people who lost their lives to give us freedom. We should remember their sacrifices. We are privileged to be born after the British imperialism. Politicians must understand their responsibilities towards the nation instead of just looking for ways to win elections.’’
Prabhat Kumar of physical education department was all set to celebrate the day by organising a fitness awareness at the main ground of the campus. “We will also promote awareness about the importance of the day,” he said.
Mehmood Maherban of Afghanistan studying at Department of Economics at Panjab University said he was happy to be part of the celebrations. “I wish every citizen of this country a happy Republic Day. I have been studying here for the last seven years and it is my privilege to be part of this great nation,” he said.
