Voices from various walks of life call for protecting the Constitution

Attendees at the Constitution Protection Conference in Chennai highlighted the need to safeguard the ideals embedded in the Constitution amidst persistent attempts to weaken it. Former Supreme Court judge Jasti Chelameswar stressed that it was the people, not just judges or institutions, who safeguarded the Constitution. He recalled the diverse nature of the country when drafting the Constitution and the framers' desire to create a document that catered to all interests.

Actor and social activist Prakash Raj pointed out that democracy in India only thrived during elections, as per Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar's vision. He criticized the BJP government for forcing youth to create content on social media, indicating their awareness of the leader's true nature. Prakash Raj urged the public to hold elected representatives accountable for their actions and not be swayed by political affiliations.

Siddharth Varadarajan, Founder and Editor of The Wire, outlined various government actions over the past decade aimed at undermining constitutional rights and protections. He expressed concern over the government's efforts to define who is an Indian and not, and criticized the process of Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls that led to the removal of several lakh people from the rolls.

Varadarajan also highlighted the government's attempts to pass the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, claiming it was not driven by concerns over foreign influence but rather to protect India from perceived external threats.