Article 370 was against Dr Ambedkar's idealogy of one Constitution for united India: CJI Gavai
Nagpur, Jun 28 (PTI): Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Saturday said Dr B R Ambedkar envisioned one Constitution for the country to keep it united and never favoured the idea of a separate constitution for a state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Constitution Preamble Park here, the CJI said the Supreme Court drew inspiration from Dr Ambedkar's vision of a united India under a single constitution while upholding the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Gavai was part of a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, that unanimously upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, which bestowed special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
"When Article 370 was challenged, it came before us, and when the hearing was underway, I recalled Dr Babasaheb's words that one Constitution is suited for a country... If we want to keep the country united, we need only one Constitution," he said, while addressing the gathering in Marathi.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre decided to strip Jammu and Kashmir of special status and divide it into two Union Territories.
Gavai said Dr Ambedkar had been criticised, saying the Constitution provides for too much federalism, and in times of war, the country may not remain united.
However, he had responded, saying the Constitution would suit all the challenges and keep the nation united, the CJI said.
"See the situation in the neighbouring countries, be it Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. Whenever our country faces challenges, it has remained united," Gavai said.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said he was happy that CJI Gavai inaugurated the Constitution Preamble Park and unveiled a statue of Dr Ambedkar.
Freedom, equality and brotherhood were Dr Ambedkar's valuable gift to the country in the form of the Constitution, he said.
Gadkari said that the Constitution has clearly stated the responsibilities and rights of the four pillars of democracy, i.e. executive, judiciary, legislature and media.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Gavai was performing his responsibility as the Chief Justice of India ably.
Highlighting the importance of the Constitution, Fadnavis said the government has decided that the Preamble of the Constitution should reach every student to mark the Amrit Mohotsav of the Constitution.
"If we accept the values of the Preamble, 90 per cent of the country's problems will be solved forever," he said.
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Confident we are going to win Kerala: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence in the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, saying the Congress-led alliance will win more than 75 seats out of the total 140 in the state.
Tharoor, who hails from Kerala, said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls, most of which predicted a victory for the UDF that has been out of power for 10 years in the state.
"We have been on the ground. I have campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 districts out of 14. I was very confident we are going to win.
"Everything that I have picked up from not just my party colleagues and workers but also from other observers, media and others have always convinced me that we were going to score a comfortable win of above 75 seats. And all the (exit) polls have confirmed the same thing," he told reporters here.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls but in general he was not a big fan of exit polls in India.
"Because ours is not purely a homogenous society. We have to take into account gender issue, caste issue, class issue, regional disparities. You never get a convincingly large enough sample to give an accurate poll and now there is the additional complication that we have heard about in West Bengal this year that many people are unwilling to answer the questions of the pollsters," he said.
The Congress leader said normally, it used to be below 10 per cent that people said that they would not answer.
"Even if you are a reputable exit pollster, in Bengal, one polling company has said 60 per cent of people refused to answer. So, what is the worth of a poll where 60 per cent of your respondents have not answered," he said.
Several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala after 10 years, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Polling for the 140-member Kerala assembly was held on April 9. Results of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, besides Kerala, will be announced on May 4.
