Bengaluru, Sep 15 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday that the protection of the Constitution is the responsibility of every citizen, and this duty must be diligently performed by everyone.

He added that the protection of democracy is essential for the safety of the people of the country.

He further appealed people not to allow electoral fraud.

He spoke at the International Democracy Day celebration organised by the State Social Welfare Department at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

CM Siddaramaiah said, “Today’s Democracy Day slogan is “My Vote, My Right”. However, there are vested interests trying to weaken this power. There was a time when the rich held all authority, but now every citizen, whether rich or poor, is given equal voting rights.”

“Dr. B.R. Ambedkar famously said, “‘One Person, One Vote, One Value’. Unfortunately, this principle is being misused in a conspiracy to weaken the Constitution, which must not be allowed to happen. The protection of the Constitution is the responsibility of every citizen and must be diligently upheld. Only by safeguarding democracy can the people of the nation be protected,” he emphasised.

“Some have chosen the path of electoral fraud to retain their power. Therefore, the slogan “My Vote, My Right” is particularly important in such a context, and vote manipulation must be strictly prevented. Democracy must be preserved, and rights must be protected. Along with the right provided by the Constitution, citizens must fulfill their duties. In a democratic system, all castes and religions are equal. Those attempting to undermine the Constitution are reactionaries. Since Independence, opponents of the Constitution have existed. If inequality is removed, exploitation cannot continue,” CM Siddaramaiah added.

“With the aim of creating awareness about Constitutional ideals, the state government has taken steps to have the Preamble of the Constitution read in all schools. Every citizen should understand the Constitution. Without awareness about the Constitution, people are becoming vulnerable to its misuse,” the Chief Minister said.

Speaking at the International Day of Democracy at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Monday Said: “The ‘My Vote My Right’ campaign has been designed to create awareness about democratic values and develop leadership skills among youth and students. Today’s Democracy Day celebration slogan is: “My Vote, My Right”.”

He said, “Ballot is stronger than bullet. The monarchy is sitting at home today and the elected representatives are governing. That is the power of the ballot. It is this voting power that gave rise to leaders like CM Siddaramaiah and myself.”

“We are all living in a democratic system today and ours is the biggest democracy in the world. The concept of democracy took birth in this land when Lord Basavanna set up Anubhava Mantapa 900 years ago to promote an egalitarian society,” he added.

“In a competitive world like today, it is next to impossible to progress without leadership skills. It is important to teach our youth and students the leadership skills. In politics, 49 per cent is zero and 51 per cent is 100. Youth need to understand it,” he said.

“Late Congress MP Dhruvanarayan had won an election with a margin of just one vote. It so happened that the Opponent’s driver himself had not voted that day as he got delayed. This incident shows the importance of every single vote in a democracy,” he recalled.

“I had the opportunity to witness the debate on reduction of voting age from 21 to 18 years in the Parliament. The Opposition pounced on the then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi for trying to pass this legislation. The Opposition accused that the Prime Minister was giving voting rights to playing kids. Replying to this criticism, he had said, ‘If we can give rifles to youth and ask them to fight at the borders when they turn 18, why can’t we give them the power to vote. He said he realised the power of youth,'” he said.

“Judiciary, Legislative, Executive and Media are the four pillars of democracy. The judiciary intervenes when we make a mistake; the media highlights our mistakes. But in spite of this, some are trying to steal votes. Rahul Gandhi has started a fight against this vote fraud,” he added.

–IANS

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