‘Why is socialist and secular in BJP's constitution': Amid Preamble row, Kharge's retort

Indian Express

5 hours ago

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Bharatiya Janata Party Friday why it had included the words 'socialist and secular' in the party constitution when leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were calling for their removal from India's Preamble.
At a public meeting attended by Congress workers from across Telangana, Kharge read out Article II of the BJP constitution which read: 'The Party shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India'.
Commemorating 50 years of the imposition of the Emergency at an event last month, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for a discussion on whether the words 'socialist' and 'secular' should remain in the Preamble of the Constitution because 'they were added later'.
Without naming Hosabale, Kharge, who was speaking at an event called 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan', said: 'Now an RSSwala wants to change the preamble of the constitution by removing the words secular and socialist. I challenge you, BJP, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, (Home Minister Amit) Shah and everyone. No one can change or remove this (from the constitution). It is my challenge. You won't be able to do so'.
Criticising the current BJP rule in the Centre, Kharge said: 'Modiji has visited 42 countries, but he has not visited our own Manipur. Manipur where rape, violence is happening. Why is Modi silent about Manipur? Rahul Gandhi and I went there. Modi has not even peeped into Manipur to see what's happening there'.
About the Pahalgam terror attack, Kharge said: 'We had stood behind the country and the soldiers of the country when the terror attack happened. But why did Modi leave the war in the middle? He did not make use of the chance he got to square with Pakistan,' he said. Coming down heavily on US President Donald Trump's announcement that he 'brought peace' between India and Pakistan, Kharge said, 'Why is Modi silent about Trump's announcement'. He added that India's foreign policy has made enemies out of countries everywhere.
Kharge added, 'We will teach BJP a lesson. The Congress party will come to power in the Centre…Modi and Shah will leave Delhi when this happens'.
In Telangana, Kharge said that 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes will be implemented in educational and employment and local body elections.
'We will not stop till the BC reservation is implemented in the state,' Kharge said, congratulating the state government for conducting the caste survey. In the meeting which was held to boost the morale of Congress workers at the booth and local body levels, Kharge said that every development programme implemented by the state should reach 'each household'. He exhorted workers to relay the welfare measures of the Congress including those for farmers, women and youth to the grassroots.