Indian Parliament lit up on the eve of the Constitution Day

New Delhi: The government has lined up a host of activities to mark November 26 as Constitution Day on Thursday.

The leaders will pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar - architect of the Indian constitution - including a special session of Parliament with no zero hour on Thursday and Friday.

Parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that all parties have welcomed the move. "In the two-day special session we will to discuss 'Commitment to the Constitution’ as part of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar," he said after an all party meeting on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Parliament house complex lit up on the eve of the Constitution Day after being instructed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

The government has asked officials to read out the preamble of the Constitution on November 26, sources said.

Vice-President M Hamid Ansari (Rajya Sabha chairman) and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will make the opening remarks in both the houses, while finance minister Arun Jaitley will start the discussion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will intervene towards the end of the discussion in both houses.

The Constitution was adopted on this day in 1949 before it came into force on January 26, 1950. The Constitution Day events will be a part of the year-long nationwide celebrations to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, the Dalit icon.

This will be a tribute to Ambedkar who played a seminal role in the framing of the Indian Constitution as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly, the statement said.

The events have political significance too as ruling BJP is working overtime to woo Dalits, a politically crucial constituency.

HRD, Home, External Affairs are among the ministries which have lined up a number of events for the day.

Colleges have been urged to organize mock Parliament sessions and debates on the Constitution on November 26. Schools have been asked to ensure that students should read out the Preamble to the Constitution in school assembly on the day, the statement said.

The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has requested to states and union territories to celebrate it as well, it said.