Every year on November 26, India celebrates Constitution Day, also known as ‘Samvidhan Diwas’, which honours the adoption of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949, and it went into effect on January 26, 1950. 

According to a government website, the Union ministry of social justice notified the Centre’s decision to celebrate November 26 as Constitution Day in 2015 to encourage constitutional values among the people of the country. 

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In 1947, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, India’s first law minister in the Congress-led government, was appointed chairman of the constitution drafting committee and charged with writing the country’s new constitution. 

Ambedkar’s Constitution, according to American historian Granville Seward Austin, is “first and foremost a social document”.

Parliament to celebrate Constitution Day

On Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind will lead the celebrations from the Central Hall, beginning at 11 am, to commemorate Constitution Day. The event will be addressed by the President, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present at the Parliament and Vigyan Bhawan celebrations. He  will open the Supreme Court’s two-day Constitution Day celebrations at 5:30 pm in Vigyan Bhawan later in the day.

The President will then release a digital version of the Constituent Assembly Debates, an online version of a calligraphed copy of the Constitution, and an updated version of the document laying out the framework of the country’s fundamental political code, which will include all amendments to date, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Congress, other opposition parties to skip celebrations

The Constitution Day celebrations in Parliament will be skipped by a delegation of 13 opposition parties led by Congress on Friday. 

According to Hindustan Times, opposition parties are going to skip the event to protest what they claim is the Centre’s disrespect for them, its complete unwillingness to meet their demands, and the quickened passage of bills in Parliament.