President hails Centre’s simultaneous polls plan in R-Day eve address

President Droupadi Murmu hailed the government’s ambitious plan of One Nation, One Election or simultaneous polls in her speech on the eve of Republic Day and said that it “promises to redefine the terms of good governance” among other benefits.

“Another measure that promises to redefine the terms of good governance is the bill introduced in Parliament to synchronise election schedules in the country. The ‘One Nation One Election’ plan can promote consistency in governance, prevent policy paralysis, mitigate resource diversion, and reduce the financial burden, apart from offering many other benefits,” Murmu said, addressing the nation on the eve of Republic Day.

The President’s support for the Constitution (amendment) bill comes at a crucial time when the legislation, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17 along with a similar bill for UTs, faces an in-depth review in the joint committee with the entire Opposition group not in favour of the law.

The Constitution amendment bill will also test the NDA’s ability to push key reforms as it doesn’t have the requisite numbers in both Houses to push such amendments.

Murmu’s historic speech when the country is celebrating 75 years of its Constitution, tried to trace India’s development trajectory, with focus on the recent years. She mentioned that the country got freedom in 1947 but many relics of colonial mindset are now being changed.

“We won freedom in 1947, but many relics of a colonial mindset persisted among us for long. Of late, we have been witnessing concerted efforts to change that mindset. Among the most noteworthy of such efforts was the decision to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam,” the President said in her third such address to the people.

“Based on Indian traditions of jurisprudence, the new criminal laws place the delivery of justice instead of punishment at the centre of the criminal justice system. Moreover, the new laws grant top priority to countering crimes against women and children,” Murmu added.

The President noted that “a fresh engagement with our civilizational heritage” has started and described the ongoing Mahakumbh as “an expression of the richness of that heritage”.

President Murmu hailed the Constitution for binding the country like a family and said “the long-dormant soul of India has awakened again, taking strides to regain its rightful place in the comity of nations.”

“Seventy-five years, someone might say, is only the blink of an eye in the life of a nation. No, I will say, not these past 75 years. This has been the time when the long-dormant soul of India has awakened again, taking strides to regain its rightful place in the comity of nations. Among the oldest civilizations, India was once known as a source of knowledge and wisdom. There, however, came a dark phase, and inhuman exploitation under colonial rule led to utter poverty,” she added.

Murmu remembered Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Birsa Munda and other doyens of the country and said, “Justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are not theoretical concepts that we came to learn in modern times; they have always been part of our civilizational heritage. It also explains why the critics who were cynical about the future of the Constitution and the Republic when India had newly become independent were proven so thoroughly wrong.”

Murmu maintained that the Constitution has become “a living document because civic virtues have been part of our moral compass for millennia” and said “it provides the ultimate foundation of our collective identity as Indians; it binds us together as a family”.

The President’s speech spoke about the development in India and “an all-round progress of a young republic”.

“Today, India is taking leadership positions in international forums. This transformation would not have been possible without the blueprint laid down by our Constitution. In recent years, the economic growth rate has remained persistently high, creating job opportunities for our youth, putting more money in the hands of farmers and labourers, and also lifting more people out of poverty. The bold and far-sighted economic reforms will sustain this trend in the years to come. Inclusion is the cornerstone of our growth saga, distributing the fruits of developments as widely as possible,” Murmu added.

She mentioned a long list of government schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, MUDRA, Stand-Up India and Atal Pension Yojana that provide more people access to a variety of financial support schemes.

“Equally importantly, the government has redefined the notion of welfare, making basic necessities such as housing and access to drinking water a matter of entitlement,” said Murmu as she mentioned how “every effort is being made to extend a helping hand to the marginalized communities, particularly of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.”

Murmu also pointed to the government’s focus on physical infrastructure development and the use of technology in the field of finance. She mentioned the achievements of Gukesh D and others in the field of sports and the milestones reaches by Isro (Indian Space Research Organisation).

“Thanks to substantial and concrete progress in a wide range of areas, we are marching towards the future, holding our heads high. The key to our future is our youth and especially the young women. Their dreams are moulding the India of tomorrow, when we will be celebrating the centenary of our Independence. And when today’s children will salute the tricolour on the 26th January of 2050, they will tell their next generation that this great quest would not have been possible without our incomparable Constitution guiding them along the way,” Murmu said.