Constitution needs to be amended, but no polarising of people: KLIBF

There is no difference of opinion that the Constitution of India needs to be amended in tune with the times, felt representatives of the political parties who took part in the panel discussion on ‘Contemporary Indian Politics’ organised in connection with the Kerala Legislative International Book Festival (KLIBF) here on Wednesday.

There is no difference of opinion that the Constitution of India needs to be amended in tune with the times, felt representatives of the political parties who took part in the panel discussion on ‘Contemporary Indian Politics’ organised in connection with the Kerala Legislative International Book Festival (KLIBF) here on Wednesday.

However, the present attempt at saffornising the Constitution cannot be agreed upon, said M.V. Govindan of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).  

The Constitutional amendment is necessary to maintain a democratic system that strengthens the society and lives of people. However, the country cannot afford the polarising tactics of the current political dispensation in the Centre that destroys the unity among the people, said Mr. Govindan. The current dispensation is also trying to guide the people in a particular direction only, he said.

As a part of this, efforts are being made to implement the Uniform Civil Code, Citizenship Amendment Act, etc. The present India has to be recreated from its glorious past. Instead of this, the accumulation of wealth is currently taking place. The rich are getting richer on one side, and on the other hand, the number of poor people in the country is increasing. So the political vision of his party is to fight communalism along with those who respect the Constitution and democracy, said Mr. Govindan.

Ramesh Chennithala of Congress, who spoke on the occasion, said that the Constitution should be amended in such a way that the basic structure is not changed. Any attempt to destroy the federalism and democratic structure of the country cannot be accepted, he said. Stressing the need to restore elections based on the ballot paper, he said that present government systems are rigged, including elections. Only six countries in the world use electronic voting machines. It is important to restore the faith of people in the elections, said Mr. Chennithala.

P.K. Krishnadas of the BJP, who spoke at the discussion also said the Constitution should be changed with the times. The heritage of India is not to destroy the places of worship but to destroy the dreams of ‘some people.’ The people’s mandate they received is against the politics of fear and support for building a new India, he said.