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Most parties happily embraced the suggestion, from the government, that the first two days of this Winter Session of Parliament be dedicated to a discussion on the constitution. No one, of course, wanted to come in the way of a celebration of Dr BR Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary, and since he is remembered as the architect of the constitution, it only seemed appropriate.

Moreover, the constitution is broad enough that it can be used by any party to argue against the other, with Bharatiya Janata Party leaders using it to talk about secularism and Congress leaders reminding the government of its tolerance. Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury did the same, while questioning the idea of the day itself.

"We have a situation where the Government has come forward saying that we reaffirm our faith in the Constitution. Where is the question of reaffirming? You are here, I am here, and all of us are here on an oath on this Constitution. What is this drama of reaffirming?" Yechury said in Parliament.

He pointed out that though November 26, which the BJP had chalked out as Constitution Day, was the anniversary of the adoption of the constitution's draft, India would continue to be ruled by British laws until January 26, when, in 1950, India became a republic. That day, of course, is commemorated as Republic Day. "So, what is this new item that we have, Sir? ...(Interruptions)... You may call it item song or whatever. It is a new item now in the Indian Constitution," Yechury said. "A senior leader of the ruling party has described our Prime Minister, charitable or uncharitable, I don't know, it is up to their party to decide, he called him an excellent event manager. One event after another, London and after that Malaysia, after that Asia and after that Constitution Day and from tomorrow it will be Paris."

The point of his lengthy speech, in Parliament, during the discussion was to insist that the BJP had picked up this subject by way of trying to make it seem like the party had been a part of the freedom movement. Taking umbrage at questions raised about communists, Yechury pointed out that the BJP's ideological parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had on many occasions refused to be part of independence agitations.

"Why this Constitution Day? I can only come to the conclusion that this is an attempt to try and worm their way into the national movement when they had no role to play at all. This is the way they want to worm themselves into the national movement and how they want to worm themselves I want to know," he said. "You have event management. You want to worm yourself into the national movement when you had no role."