Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday expressed a strong view against those seeking to change the Constitution of the country.
Participating in the debate on Constitution in the Legislative Assembly, he said: “The talk of changing the Constitution is meaningless. It’s not possible for anyone to change this great book.” He reiterated that the Constitution is supreme.
The debate resumed in the Assembly after two days of impasse over the controversial remarks of BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy.
‘Distinct, flexible’
Mr. Yediyurappa said: “The Indian Constitution is very distinct as it is elaborate, flexible and has solutions to problems that arise in day-to-day life. It has also shown us the way in times of crisis.” Substantiating his view, he said India had never faced a situation like the U.S. had in 2000 when the country did not have clarity on the counting of votes for Presidential polls.
Mr. Yediyurappa also used the occasion to argue that the ongoing protests over CAA and NRC in different parts of the country were unwarranted. “Those opposing CAA should know that the legislation has got the endorsement of Parliament.”
On each other’s toes
Earlier in the day, members of the ruling and Opposition parties said that three organs of the government — Legislature, Executive and Judiciary — had not lived up to the spirit of the Constitution as they had encroached the powers of each other.
After Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri delivered his 40-page address on “Our Constitution, Our Pride” in the House on Tuesday amidst a protest by the Opposition Congress, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy on Wednesday initiated the debate and said the legislature has failed to meet the expectations of the people as legislators’ “greed for power, money and authority” had increased over the years. “We are losing respect and reputation bestowed by the Constitution,” he said.
The three organs of the government want to become executing authorities without understanding the powers and responsibilities given by the Constitution. “Have we done our job as legislators?” Mr. Madhuswamy asked.
The country has not been able to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of transforming Indian villages as Gram Swaraj and villagers have been treated as second-class citizens, the Minister said.
Expensive elections
H.K. Patil of the Congress said the level of corruption had increased owing to high expenditure in elections. “About 63% of the people get their work done in the government offices by paying bribes,” he said. The governments has declined to undertake electoral reforms to crackdown electoral malpractices, he said.
The governments, irrespective of parties, have blatantly misused anti-corruption bodies such as Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax department for political advantages, he added.
M.P. Rajiv of the BJP recalled the history of the Indian Constitution making and said he had distributed 40,000 copies of the Preamble of the Constitution to students of his Kudachi constituency.
During the debate, Priayank Kharge and Ramesh Kumar from the Congress, Bandeppa Kashempur and K.L. Shivalinge Gowda from JD-S intervened and made brief remarks on different aspects of the statute.