Tharoor Celebrates Evolution of Constitution Defenders from Historical Rejectors

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently highlighted a significant shift in Indian politics, noting that those who once opposed the Constitution are now its defenders. At the launch of his book "Our Living Constitution," Tharoor discussed how both society and the Constitution have evolved, leading to the integration of constitutional values into India's social framework.

Tharoor pointed out that members of the Hindutva movement, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat, now strongly support the Constitution. He remarked, "Today the elements of the Hindutva movement are amongst the staunchest advocates of the Constitution, the defenders of it. The prime minister says it is the only holy book. And you are looking at a situation in which even the head of the RSS Mohan Bhagwat has pledged support and allegiance to the Constitution as it stands and has talked about safeguarding it."

Constitutional Evolution and Society

The Congress MP noted that while many things have gone wrong, one positive development is how deeply constitutional values have permeated Indian society. He stated that despite past opposition, these values are now celebrated even under a government whose predecessors rejected them. Tharoor expressed this sentiment by saying, "This way in which India as a country has in a sense found it possible to celebrate under the rule of a party, whose forebears were against the Constitution, the 75th anniversary of the same Constitution, I think this is a tremendous triumph."

Tharoor's book delves into various aspects of the Constitution, starting with its preamble and exploring its historical roots. The book examines how civic nationalism inspired India's founding fathers, endowing the Constitution with progressiveness, pluralism, tolerance, liberalism, and individual concern.

Structural Challenges in Politics

During the event, former Congress leader Kapil Sibal addressed questions about restructuring the Constitution. He argued that while there is no structural flaw in the Constitution itself, there is a need for political reform. Sibal stated, "...but in the way we work it. We don’t need a restructuring of the Constitution, we need a restructuring of our politics, of the way our politicians think, the way our judges act, the way the media fails itself every day. That’s the change we need."

Sibal also quoted Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on democracy's challenges in India due to societal structures. He mentioned Ambedkar's view that democracy struggles because of an incompatible social structure. Sibal added, "Ambedkar had said in an interview to BBC, ‘democracy will not work for the simple reason we have got a social structure which is totally incompatible with parliamentary democracy’. That’s the real problem in our country."

The book launch was attended by notable figures such as former Supreme Court judge Madan Lokur and columnist Shubhrastha. Tharoor's insights highlight how constitutional values are becoming ingrained in Indian consciousness despite historical opposition.

With inputs from PTI