The Magna Carta inspired legends like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela for liberty to their lands and people, Prime Minister David Cameron said.
'Let every person remember that the 'holy book' is the Constitution, and it is with this book in hand that the citizens of India march together as a nation, so that they may move forward in all spheres of human endeavour to achieve the great goals set out by this 'Magna Carta' or Great Charter of India'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled in London a statue of Basaveshwara, the 12th century Indian philosopher and social reformer, praising him for giving the world ideals of democracy much before the Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta was not quite a grand demand for equality, freedoms and rule of law but just a narrow demand for restricting the ruler's powers to ring fence the interests of the elite. But its consequences greatly expanded over the centuries into a charter, which guarantees individual liberties, equality and justice to all, irrespective of race, religion and class, says Mohan Guruswamy.