'No Current Plan': Govt On Considering To Remove 'Socialism', 'Secularism' From Preamble
Government said there is no plan to remove 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated no formal actions have been initiated.
Government on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that there is 'no current plan' to remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution. Furthermore, government also said that there are no 'formal" initiations from its side to remove these words. 'Socialism' and 'secularism' were inserted into the Preamble during the Emergency period.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a written reply, said the discussion could be among the political circles but 'government did not announce any formal course of action' regarding this.
'The government's official stand is that there is no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution. Any discussions regarding amendments to the Preamble would require thorough deliberation and broad consensus, but as of now, the government has not initiated any formal process to change these provisions," the minister's reply was quoted by PTI.
Meghwal also highlighted that in November 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the 1976 (42nd Constitutional Amendment), which confirmed that Parliament's power to amend the Constitution includes the Preamble.
The court clarified that 'socialism" in the Indian context means a welfare state and does not hinder private sector growth, while 'secularism" remains a fundamental aspect of the Constitution's basic structure.
Regarding the atmosphere created by the office-bearers of some social organisations, Meghwal mentioned that certain groups might be expressing opinions or advocating for reconsideration of these terms.
'Such activities can create a public discourse or atmosphere around the issue, but this does not necessarily reflect the official stance or actions of the government," he said.
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First Published:
July 25, 2025, 09:59 IST
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