CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, in his speech on the event of the Constitution Day, chose to bash the government by toeing the anti-establishment rhetoric, even on a move that seeks to propagate constitutional values among children in schools and the public in general (“What is this Constitution Day, Sir?”, Nov.30). By seeking to lash out against the relevance of marking such a day, by pointing to the date of enforcement of the Constitution as opposed to the day of signing it, and by marking certain mistakes made by the Prime Minister in a few of his speeches at gatherings, he has trivialised the relevance of spreading the ideals of the Constitution among the people.
Mithun P.V.,
Bengaluru
Though known as a bag of borrowings, the longest written constitution of any country in the world, the Indian Constitution, is considered one of the world’s best, for it has seen fewer amendments compared to others.
I disagree with Mr. Yechury on celebrating Constitution Day on November 26. Knowingly or unknowingly, the BJP had paved the way for an awareness campaign on our Constitution; had it coincided with January 26, the Republic Day celebrations would have cast a shadow on it.
R. Ananthanarayanan,
Bengaluru
Mr. Yechury’s speech in the Rajya Sabha was insightful and educational. Despite his valid arguments and protestations, let us concede that November 26 is the Constitution Day as the president of the Constituent Assembly signed it on that day. While Mr. Yechury talks about tolerance and accommodation, he would do well to ponder over what his party did in West Bengal and Kerala in its heyday. He is fortunate to speak his mind here as India practises democracy. There are no prizes for guessing what would have been the fate of an articulate and forceful Mr. Yechury if he happened to be a citizen of erstwhile Communist regimes.
He certainly did every Indian proud by acerbically telling U.S. President Barack Obama that India is the oldest democracy in terms of universality of adult franchise.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam, Kerala
