Mahatma Gandhi’s Ideals Remain Relevant in Nation-Building Efforts: President

New Delhi: Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals remain relevant in our nation-building efforts, said President Ram Nath Kovind today in his address to the nation on the eve of 71st Republic Day of India.

The President said, “Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals remain relevant in our nation-building efforts. It should be part of our daily routine to introspect on Gandhiji’s message of truth and nonviolence, which has become all the more necessary in our times”.

When fighting for a cause, people, particularly the youth, should not forget the gift of Ahimsa Gandhiji gave to humanity, he said.

Gandhiji’s talisman for deciding whether an act is right or wrong also applies to the functioning of our democracy. Government and opposition both have important roles to play. While giving expression to their political ideas, both must move forward in tandem to ensure that development of the country and welfare of its people are promoted consistently, Kovind stressed.

Extending his warm greetings to the people on the eve of the Republic Day, the President said, “Seven decades ago, on 26th January, our Constitution came into effect. Even before that, this date had acquired special significance. Having resolved to attain ‘Purna Swaraj’, our people had been celebrating ‘Purna Swaraj Day’ on every 26th January from 1930 to 1947. That is why, in 1950 we embarked our journey as a Republic on the 26th January, affirming to the principles laid down in our Constitution. Since then, every year we celebrate our Republic Day on 26th January”.

“The modern State comprises the three organs – Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, which are necessarily interlinked and interdependent. Yet, on ground, the people comprise the State. ‘We the People’ are the prime movers of the Republic. With us, the people of India rests the real power to decide our collective future”, the President said.

He said, “Our Constitution gave us rights as citizens of a free democratic nation, but also placed on us the responsibility to always adhere to the central tenets of our democracy – justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. It becomes easier for us to follow these constitutional ideals, if we keep in mind the life and values of the Father of our Nation. By doing so, we will be adding a meaningful dimension to our celebrations of 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji”.

“We are now in the third decade of the twenty-first century. This will be the decade of the rise of New India and a new generation of Indians. More and more of those born in this century are participating in the national discourse. With the passage of time, we are gradually losing living links with our great freedom struggle, but there is no reason to worry about the continuity of the beliefs that guided it. With advances in technology, the young minds of today are better informed and more confident. The next generation remains strongly committed to the core values of our nation. For our youth, the nation always comes first. With them, we are witnessing the emergence of a New India”.

“As our Republic Day is a celebration of our Constitution, let me conclude with the words of its chief architect, Babasaheb Ambedkar:

“If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgment we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives.”

These words have always lighted our path. These words will continue to show us the way ahead to new glories, the President added.

The idea of world as a large well-knit family, captured in our message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, strengthens our relations with other nations. We have been sharing our democratic ideals and the fruits of our development with the entire world, he further said.