Sharmila Tagore writes open letter on India's Constitution

Eight eminent personalities, including former Supreme Court judge J Chelameswar and ex-Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, have appealed to people to "introspect and audit" the working of the Constitution ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Republic.

"Is the Constitution a mere administrative manual which enables the elected governments to claim legitimacy for abuse of power, and allows the citizens to convert a liberty into license disregarding rights of others? Is it simply another text penned by ink or a sacred text written in the blood of innumerable martyrs who transcended the barriers of caste, religion, region, ethnicity and language?. introspect whether truth and non-violence - the two values held very dear to the heart of the Father of the Nation - continue to inform our actions in the public sphere."

The letter, titled ''70 years of Indian Constitution-A Defining Moment'' comes in at a time of continuous protests in the country against the recent Citizenship Amendment Act. The signatories of the letter said the Constitution provided an "opportunity to celebrate our successes, and also to introspect and resolve to overcome our shortcomings. We appeal to all citizens to utilise this solemn occasion to celebrate our success, reflect on our current concerns, particularly about our plural, secular society, and resolve to fulfil the Constitutional goals envisaged by Dr Ambedkar and our forefathers as summed up in the Preamble. The 70th anniversary of the Republic is an appropriate moment to celebrate and introspect by peacefully observing the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23), foundation day of the Election Commission celebrated as the National Voters Day (January 25), the Republic Day (January 26) and the martyrdom of the Father of the Nation (January 30)," they said.

Mr Quraishi and Mr Chelameswar, Sharmila Tagore, former Army Commander Lt Gen Harcharanjit Singh Panag, filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Carnatic musician and creative personality TM Krishna, former chairman of UGC and ICSSR Sukhdeo Thorat and former member of the Planning Commission Syeda Hameed have all signed the letter.

The government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have defended the law, saying the minority groups from the three countries have no other option but to come to India when they face religious persecution there.