Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday (August 15) cautioned against attempts to weaken and violate the Constitution and said the values enshrined in the Constitution should be protected.

In a veiled attack on the Centre for scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, he said India is a country where states enjoy special privileges and any infringement into their rights would amount to the violation of the Constitution and federal principles.

Referring to the detention of political leaders in Kashmir, the CPI(M) veteran said it should be introspective whether the country was distancing or moving closer to socialist and democratic values at a time when even leaders of democratic parties were placed under house arrest.

Vijayan was speaking after hoisting the national flag at the Central Stadium marking the Independence Day celebrations in the state.

"Each Independence Day gives the message of the need to safeguard the values enshrined in the Constitution," he said.

Federal spirit is the crux of the Constitution, and any attempt to replace it with a "unitary" system can only be viewed as a violation of the constitutional principles, the chief minister said.

Kerala was going through a tough situation due to the floods, he said, adding the state would overcome the difficulties, like the August deluge last year, through united efforts.

The chief minister also condoled the deaths of over a hundred people in torrential rains and landslides in recent days.