Assault on soul of Constitution: Congress on RSS' call to review 'socialist', 'secular' in Preamble
The Congress party on Friday slammed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) following its call to reconsider the inclusion of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.The party alleged that RSS has "never accepted" Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution and that their demand was part of the conspiracy to destroy it.
The opposition party also said the suggestion by the RSS is a "deliberate assault on the soul of our Constitution".
At an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' were not part of Ambedkar's original draft. He added they were inserted during the Emergency via the 1976 Forty‑Second Amendment, a period when Parliament, judiciary, and fundamental rights were all severely curtailed .
Hosabale said, 'The Preamble Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words. During the Emergency, judiciary became lame then these words were added,' and called for a public debate on whether they should remain.
He also demanded that the Congress apologise for the authoritarian excesses and human rights violations committed during that period
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