Shimla, Nov 26 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Urban Development and Law minister Suresh Bhardwaj on Thursday said the Constitution Day was an occasion to bow down to B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution of India.

On the occasion, the minister also administered the pledge to uphold the values to officials and other people here in a simple function following the complete COVID-19 protocol.

The minister, quoting Ambedkar, said, "The constitution is not a mere lawyer's document, it is a vehicle of life, and its spirit is always the spirit of age."

"This is the day to reaffirm our faith in the rights and duties enshrined in the constitution. This is the way to make India the nation that our founding fathers had envisioned," said the minister.

The minister cautioned people to denounce the forces trying to mislead people or the community. He said the present government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to the protection of the constitution of India.

He also mentioned that a brazen attack was made to diminish the constitution on June 26, 1975, when the press was censored and the fundamental rights of the people were snatched.

"I also faced the brazenness of the government but it was the power of the constitution that people of the country threw away the arrogant rulers," he added.

Bhardwaj said the fundamental rights and duties enshrined in the constitution are pillars of Indian democracy that maintain a balance between legislative, executive, and judiciary.