PM Modi recalls 'inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi'

Narendra Modi addressed the All India Presiding Officers Conference on the occasion of Constitution Day. Modi has in the past also highlighted the importance and power of the Indian Constitution. When he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he organised a Samvidhan Gaurav Yatra- a procession with the Constitution placed atop an elephant.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the All India Presiding Officers Conference on the occasion of Constitution Day on Thursday.

It is a day to remember the inspiration of Gandhi ji and the commitment of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, said the Prime Minister, adding that the strength of the Indian Constitution guides people of the country during difficult times.

India started celebrating the day five years ago- after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office.

"We began to observe 26th November as Constitution Day in 2015. Since then, people across India have been marking it with great fervour. This is a day to express gratitude to the makers of our Constitution and to reiterate our commitment to building the India of their dreams," PM Modi said in a tweet on Thursday.

Emphasizing on the need to spread the values of the Constitution, PM Modi said, "Our Constitution has many features but one very special feature is the importance given to duties. Mahatma Gandhi was very keen about this. He saw a close link between rights and duties. He felt that once we perform our duties, rights will automatically be safeguarded."

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Modi has in the past also highlighted the importance and power of the Indian Constitution. When he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he organised a Samvidhan Gaurav Yatra- a procession with the Constitution placed atop an elephant.

"In 2010, to mark 60 years of the Constitution, we organised the Samvidhan Gaurav Yatra in Surendranagar, Gujarat. A replica of the Constitution was placed on an elephant and the procession covered parts of the city. I too walked in that procession. It was a unique tribute!" he added in a tweet.

Some historians believe the event was on the lines of a centuries-old procession that King Siddharaj carried out through the city of Patan honouring the text by Saint Hemachandracharya titled 'Siddhahemcha- ndrashabdanushasan.' It contained one lakh and twenty-five thousand shlokas covering the grammar of Prakrit and Apabhramsha languages.

The Constitution of India, one of the longest written Constitutions of the world, consisting of a Preamble, 22 parts with 395 Articles and eight schedules.

(ANI)