Government, opposition spar over speakers list for Constitution Day event

Ahead of a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, set to be addressed by President Droupadi Murmu to mark 75 years of the Constitution, the government and the Opposition sparred over the list of speakers.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, leaders from various parties in the INDIA bloc urged that the Opposition leaders in both Houses be allowed to speak during the function in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament building.

“We are writing in the context of the function being held tomorrow (Tuesday) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. We understand that the function will be addressed by the President, Vice President and the Prime Minister. We believe that in the best traditions and interests of Parliamentary democracy, the Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) in both Houses should also be given an opportunity to speak on this historic occasion,” the letter reads.

The government responded hours later, with parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju accusing “some of the Opposition parties” of reacting without understanding the actual arrangements. He added that Prime Minister Modi would not be addressing the event.

“The problem with some of the Opposition parties is that without knowing the actual arrangement they start giving reactions. The Prime Minister is not even speaking tomorrow (Tuesday) at the function. The Speaker, the Vice President and the President of India will speak,” Indian Express quoted Rijiju as saying in its report.

The event schedule outlines that Speaker Birla will deliver the welcome speech, followed by addresses from Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and President Murmu.

A commemorative coin and stamp marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution, along with three books on the Constitution will also be released.

In his customary pre-session speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the winter session of Parliament as “special in many ways,” with the most significant aspect being the 75-year journey of India’s Constitution.