76 years ago, 264 Constituent Assembly members signed Indian Constitution: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday recalled that 76 years ago today, 264 members of the Constituent Assembly formally affixed their signatures to the Constitution of India, which is a charter for profound socio-economic transformation.
In a post on X, the Congress general secretary also recalled that the members sat together for a group photograph, which "is one for the ages".
"76 years ago today, 264 members of the Constituent Assembly formally affixed their signatures to the Constitution of India that they had earlier adopted on November 26, 1949. They signed three copies -- two of which were handwritten in English and Hindi and carried 22 illustrations by artists from Shantiniketan, led by none other than Nandalal Bose himself," Ramesh said.
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The beautiful calligraphy in English was by Prem Behari Narayan Raizada, and the one in Hindi was by Vasant K Vaidya, he noted.
"The first page of these handwritten Constitutions had the national symbol that was designed by Dinanath Bhargava, who had spent a few months visiting the Kolkata Zoo at Nandalal Bose's insistence so as to ensure that the lions in the emblem looked exactly like the real lions," the Congress leader said.
"Quite apart from the fact that it is a charter for profound socio-economic transformation, the Lalit Kala Akademi set up in August 1954 has described the illustrated Constitution as 'a seminal art treatise' that navigates India's multi-layered history and celebrates the threads of unity in diversity," Ramesh said.
"That very day, the members sat together for a group photograph. It is one for the ages," he added.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
