Modi Urges Citizens To Honour Constitutional Duties, Congress Questions PM’s Commitment

On Constitution Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to fulfil their Constitutional duties, saying these were crucial for strengthening India’s democracy. His appeal, however, drew sharp criticism from the Congress, which questioned the prime minister’s own adherence to fundamental duties.

In a statement reported by PTI, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Part IV-A, Article 51-A of the Constitution relates to Fundamental Duties and has enumerated eleven of them. But is the Prime Minister fulfilling even his own fundamental duties as a citizen and leader?"

Ramesh highlighted four duties where Modi’s commitment, he said, is “demonstrably suspect” — abiding by the Constitution and respecting its ideals and institutions; cherishing and following the noble ideals which inspired the national struggle for freedom; promoting harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among all the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; and developing scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform. PTI reported that this criticism came in response to the prime minister’s Constitution Day message.

In his letter to citizens, Modi stressed the responsibility of strengthening democracy through the exercise of the right to vote, and suggested schools and colleges celebrate Constitution Day by recognising first-time voters turning 18. According to PTI, he also recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s belief that rights flow from the performance of duties, and that fulfilling duties is essential for social and economic progress.

The prime minister paid tribute to key figures in India’s freedom struggle and Constitution-making, including Rajendra Prasad, B R Ambedkar, Vallabhbhai Patel, Birsa Munda, and Mahatma Gandhi. “All these personalities and milestones remind us of the primacy of our duties, something the Constitution also emphasises through a dedicated chapter on Fundamental Duties in Article 51A. These duties guide us on how to collectively achieve social and economic progress,” Modi said.

He reiterated that Mahatma Gandhi always emphasised the duties of a citizen. Since 2015, Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas has been observed on 26 November to mark the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly in 1949.

(With inputs from PTI)