Implement Ambedkar's philosophy, says Hamid Ansari

Vice President M. Hamid Ansari on Saturday called for implementation of B.R. Ambedkar's three-point corrective - using constitutional methods of achieving social and economic objectives, not laying our liberties at the feet of even a great man and making our political democracy a social democracy as well.

Speaking at the 3rd Convocation of Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) here, Ansari said India needed to implement these in order to address the shortfalls that are "corroding the edifice so diligently put in place by the founding fathers of the republic".

Ansari said the Constitution of India embodies the modern concept of rule of law with the establishment of a judicial system, which should be able to work impartially and free from all influences, adding that the constitutional and juridical framework were thus impeccable.

Questioning the extent to which we as a polity are implementing the principles and procedures of rule of law in actual practice, the vice president said "both in terms of procedural technicalities, and substantive content, there a sense of unease with regard to the working of the rule of law."

"The answer is to be sought in the functioning, or malfunctioning, of the institutions of the state... the parliament is increasingly becoming ineffective in providing surveillance of the executive branch of the government," he added.