India today takes pride in being the largest democratic Republic in the world, which is the result of both our long and unparalleled movement for independence and of the unique constitution which the country adopted on January 26, 1950.
The day assumes far more significance as our constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, following the relentless efforts of great national leaders and statesmen. The constitution embodies the quest for happy and prosperous life in an egalitarian society and it enshrines the cardinal principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The architects of our sacred Constitution have given us a Parliamentary Democracy which aims at social progress and equal opportunities of livelihood besides quality life for all.
The Constituent Assembly kept in view the fact that India is a country rich in cultural, religions, linguistic and regional diversity. Such a diverse country needed a constitution which truly reflected deep and profound respect for this diversity. Universal Adult Franchise had to be the bed rock on which the constitution was based. It was really a moment of glory for all of us as we got the power to exercise our franchise, fulfilling the cherished aspirations of our forefathers of having the ‘Government of the people, for the people and by the people’. With every passing day during around 75 years the ethos of democratic republic has been strengthened in the country as the countrymen had displayed unflinching faith in democratic norms and given a clear verdict in favour of the ‘ballot’ without any fear.
The freedom movement of India was spearheaded by some of the greatest political minds who championed the cause of secular democracy, like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr BR Ambedkar, Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Rajguru, Shaheed Sukhdev, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha and others. It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction for all of us that Punjabis have inherited an indomitable spirit of self sacrifice and patriotism from our Great Sikh gurus who have taught us to fight against oppression, tyranny and injustice. A dream envisaged by our great forefathers of an Independent and sovereign Indian Republic was fulfilled due to enormous sacrifices made by the countrymen in general and Punjabis during the fight against the mighty British Raj.
Despite being merely two per cent of the country’s population, 80 per cent of the martyrs either executed or exiled during the freedom struggle were Punjabis.
Besides being the land of watershed movements of Indian freedom struggle like Kuka, Ghadar, Kisan and others, Punjab produced sons of the soil like Lala Lajpat Rai, Diwaan Singh Kalepani and others who laid their lives for emancipating the country from the clutches of British Imperialism.
The heroic deeds of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Rajguru, Shaheed Sukhdev, Shaheed Udham Singh and Kartar Singh Sarabha gave new vigor to the national freedom struggle by inspiring the generations to rise against British imperialism. Likewise, the brutal killing of innocent people in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre proved to be a last nail in the coffin of the barbaric British rule.
The dreams of the founding fathers of the Constitution still remain to be realized as most of our countrymen are afflicted with the maladies of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and starvation. Notwithstanding over seven decades of planned development we have not been able to ensure basic minimal services to our people as inequities between the states and people continue to grow.
Large sections of our rural population and even those residing in urban slums are still to partake of the fruits of growth and development. For the last four years our government is making all out efforts to cherish the aspirations of the founding fathers of the Constitution by building a Punjab of their dreams sans poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and other social evils. We are following the footsteps of our great Gurus, Saints and Seers to maintain communal harmony, peace and amity in the state at all costs for taking off Punjab in the orbit of high growth trajectory. To herald an era of unprecedented development in the state and to put Punjab on the fast track of development, our Government has taken bold initiatives to make it a frontrunner state on the country’s map, which includes the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, Yudh Nashean Virudh, Gangstara Te Vaar, revenue reforms, Aam Aadmi Clinics, free power, Sikhya Kranti, Roshan Punjab, rural link roads, Sadak Surakhya Force and Rs 1 crore to martyr’s family among others.
(Excerpts from an article by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann)