On the momentous occasion of our 72nd Republic Day, I would like to extend my warm regards to my fellow countrymen. It was on this day in 1950 that our Constitution came into effect. Escaping the shackles of foreign rule and taking back control of our destiny, the Indian Republic has emerged as a strong stable democratic republic thanks to the constitution.

To quote our first law minister and Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar: If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives.

On this Republic Day, we need to cherish the legacy of the architect of our Constitution Babasaheb Ambedkar and celebrate the ideals on which the constitution exists. It is a matter of pride that Sir B.N. Rau and Nyamathi Madhava Rao from Namma Karnataka were members of the Drafting Committee with Sir B.N Rao serving as the Constitutional Advisor of the Committee. The invaluable contributions of the two scholars along with that of illustrious leaders such as KC Reddy, Kengal Hanumanthaiah played a great role in tailoring the Constitution to meet the needs of an aspirant, Sovereign Democratic Republic of India.

It goes without saying that the values that define our Republic are sacrosanct for us. Since taking responsibility for the government, we have strived to bring the ideals of the constitution to reality. After all, the maxim of ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas’ is, in reality, implementing the letters and spirit of the values that Babasaheb Ambedkar stood for. With these ideals as the guiding light, Governments led by PM Narendra Modi and CM BS Yediyurappa have rolled out many social welfare schemes and are ensuring that they reach the last man in the line.

The past year posed an important challenge as the entire country was brought to a standstill because of COVID19. However, we have successfully faced challenges posed by the pandemic and have rolled out the world’s largest vaccination drive, with our very own Made in India vaccines. Soon enough, COVID19 will be one of the numerous challenges that the Indian Republic will have successfully overcome.

From ensuring economic prosperity to securing the lives of our citizens, our Governments are committed to imbibing the spirit of the Indian Republic that was enabled by our constitution. Let’s have a meaningful celebration of the Republic Day by vowing to uphold the values enshrined in our constitution. Let us also take the pledge to do all we can to make the Sovereign Democratic Republic of India a self-reliant nation.

Once again, a very happy Republic Day to my fellow citizens. Jai Hind!