By TCN News,
New Delhi: Power of voting must make the people powerful enough to change their own destiny, said President of India Pratibha Patil today on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Election Commission of India.
“We have to see that the power of voting vested in the people makes them powerful enough to change their own destiny through democracy and therefore, the importance of making democracy fully participatory,” said the President.
“As we carry on with our work, we should not forget that we swear by the Constitution, and therefore, we must adhere to its values, spirit and principles. Democracy adorns our Constitution,” she further said.
She commended the role of the Election Commission of India in strengthening the democracy in the country.
“The Election Commission has been a part of the journey of our Republic since its very inception. It has been working with great responsibility from election to election and contributing to taking the nation forward step by step, from one destination to another, from strength to strength and bringing stability to our democratic system. We can be justifiably proud that free and fair elections have been held with regularity in our country in the last six decades. India and democracy have become intertwined concepts and it is hard to imagine one without the other. Democracy, the very essence of our Constitution, has become our nation’s identity,” President Patil said.
She admitted there are lacunae and malpractices in the electoral process that keeps India from becoming a role model for other countries.
“India has impressive democratic credentials, but yet has the challenge of becoming a role model for other countries. This requires that we should be aware of the impediments, the lacunae and malpractices in the electoral process. These would have to be removed with determination, to make our democracy cleaner, healthier and stronger.”