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Basic structure of Constitution will not be changed: PM

By Our Special Correspondent

An illuminated Parliament building on Monday. - Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

NEW DELHI May 13. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today said that the basic structure of the Constitution would not be changed.

Speaking at a function to commemorate the golden jubilee celebrations of Parliament, Mr. Vajpayee said, "The country's institutions have seen many changes but the basic structure of the Constitution remained the same, and it should not change."

Mr. Vajpayee said there were ample provisions within the Constitution for amendments but there was no need to change its basic structure and shape. "It has stood us in good stead." He admitted that certain infirmities had seeped into the system, but said the parliamentary form of democracy provided an equal opportunity for all sections of society.

"Despite our problems what binds us together is the fact that the parliamentary system does not discriminate on the basis of caste or religion. Every vote has the same value; it also provides an equal opportunity to all sections of society." He admitted that sometimes the wheels of parliamentary democracy functioned slowly but that was not reason enough to abandon it. "Those who have abandoned democracy have suffered."

The function was primarily an affair got together by the Communications Ministry in the new Parliament Library precincts. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan, who also holds the Communications portfolio, used the occasion to get the Prime Minister, the Vice-President, Krishan Kant, and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to release a stamp, a first day cover and an inland letter card to mark the event.

Ms. Gandhi urged the gathering to reflect on the challenges faced by the system from the forces of communalism and fanaticism. "This is a challenge that must be met because it strikes at the very roots of our democracy. The Parliament must ensure a sense of security to all citizens and instil in them a feeling that the country belongs to all its citizens."

The former Lok Sabha Speaker, Shivraj Patil, who had mooted the idea of the new building, came in for praise from all those who spoke, as also G.M.C. Balayogi, who died recently in an air crash. The Speaker, Manohar Joshi, suggested that the new auditorium be named after Balayogi, which was readily accepted. Mr. Krishan Kant, the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, P.M. Sayeed, the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, and the Congress Rajya Sabha member, Manmohan Singh, were among those who spoke.

Earlier, Mr. Joshi said it was an occasion for introspection. The country could be legitimately proud of the socio-economic progress and political stability achieved through successive Parliaments.

"Our democratic institutions have stood the test of time. Our Parliament today stands tall and proud to remind us of the primacy of our people in the political order that we chose in the wake of freedom. At the same time, it is imperative that we further safeguard and strengthen our democracy and democratic institutions. We all need to remind ourselves, time and again, that democracy is a system based on dialogue and debate."

Mr. Joshi said that as elected representatives, all members needed to recognise the fact that the country's diversity was its source of strength. "There should not be any room for any divisive agenda in our political landscape. Democracy is about the art of coexistence. We should realise that no purpose is realised through violence and hatred."

In the Rajya Sabha, its Chairman, Mr. Kant, said that the close involvement of the House in numerous legislative measures was a testimony to the fact that though a second chamber, "it is not a secondary chamber".

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