1,25,000 read preamble on Constitution Day

Nagpur: The state government has staked a claim to the world record of 1.25 lakh students taking oath on Constitution Day at city’s Yeshwant Stadium on Thursday. Though plagued by fears of safety at cramming in 1.25 lakh people in a stadium that can take only 50,000 or so, it eventually turned out to be well-organized. Though some were sceptical of the 1.25 lakh attendance claim, the attendees comprising mainly school and college students enjoyed the celebrations where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was the chief guest. Fadnavis talked about importance of Constitution and parmount role Dr BR Ambedkar played in formulating it. He apprised the listeners of the role constitution played in their life. “It guarantees you various rights and privileges. You (youngsters) have to ensure that you build upon it and make our country strong in the future,” said Fadnavis.
Aditya Surya, a student of Vinalaya School, said, “The programme was nice but I felt they could have included more patriotic songs and performances in it as we are here to celebrate the constitution of our country.” Anjali Gajbhiye, a student of Hadas high school, said, “It was an enriching experience for me as it taught more about living a life in harmony with everyone and more importantly I took an oath of abiding by the laws of this country.”
Geeta Sachendra, student of Gyan Vikas Madhyamik Vidyalaya, said, “This day helped to know more about our constitution. Above all, I was standing in the crowd where the tri-colour was formed. It was good opportunity that I got to stand with so many people and recite the oath and national anthem.” Pritam Duff, student of Tuli College of Hotel Management, said, “It was very good occasion where I could recite the oath with so many friends and was also part of a world record.”
Prakash Nagpurkar, a senior citizen, said, “It was one of the most important days for our country. It is the beginning of a new zeal that the young generation has acquired towards the constitution.”
(Inputs from Nikita Umre and Joel Kappen)
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Protests over alleged scam
A group of students and researchers connected with state’s Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Pune, protested at the stadium by showing placards and shouting slogans. The protests started during Fadnavis’ speech and soon the protesters were taken away by the police. Shipra Ukey, one of the protestors, said, “Our demand is that the director general of BARTI be suspended. We estimate the financial irregularities of Rs 10 crore at BARTI.” Ukey said it was important for the government to act immediately and bring out the truth.