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Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Word secular was not…': Swami Avimukteshwaranand amid row over RSS leader's Constitution remark
Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj on Thursday made a significant statement regarding the word 'secular' in the Indian Constitution. Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda adresses a press conference, in Varanasi.(PTI file) The Shankaracharya said the word was not originally a part of the Indian Constitution but was added later. According to him, the term does not align with the fundamental nature of the Constitution, which is why it often becomes a topic of discussion. 'The word secular was not there in the Constitution originally, it was added later. That is why it does not align with the nature of the Indian Constitution, and this issue is repeatedly raised," Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati told news agency ANI. According to him, 'dharma' means to think about right and wrong and to adopt the right and to reject the wrong. "To become secular means that we have nothing to do with right or wrong. This cannot happen in anyone's life. So this word is also not right," the Shankaracharya said. The statement comes in the wake of a much-discussed comment by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh second-in-command Dattatreya Hosabale advocating that the words "secular" and "socialist" in the Preamble of the Constitution be reviewed. He said the words were added during the Emergency and were not part of the original text drafted by BR Ambedkar. Congress leaders have slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS over Dattatreya's comment while Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have spoken in support of his demand. CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, questioning if the organisation 'truly accepts the Indian Constitution'. In a letter addressed to the RSS Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat, the CPI MP said it is time the RSS stop inflaming these debates for the sake of polarisation. He also said the terms were not 'arbitrary insertions' but 'foundational ideals'. The Communist Party of India leader said in a diverse country like India, secularism ensures unity in diversity, while socialism promises justice and dignity to each of our citizens.
India Gazette
28-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Sanatanis will vote only for candidates who support cow protection": Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 28 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj on Saturday stated that the Sanatanis (followers of Sanatan Dharma) have decided to vote only for parties or candidates who stand for the protection and welfare of cows. 'Be it any election, we, the Sanatanis, have decided that we will vote for only that party or candidate who will stand for the cow. But no party stands for cows. So, instead of voting for any particular party, we'll vote for only that candidate who will stand for cows. We will do the same in the Bihar elections too. We have said that one candidate per Assembly constituency will stand for cows and we will issue a list too...' Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj said. Speaking about the placement of boards on shops during the Kanwar Yatra, the Shankaracharya expressed his views on the religious significance of such practices. He emphasised that any individual willing to follow the dharma and take 'diksha' (initiation) for rituals should be allowed to undertake the Kanwar Yatra. He also addressed concerns about the practice of selling raw materials during the yatra, stating that, as per 'dharma shashtra', the purchase of raw materials is not considered unholy. 'We were asked our views on putting up boards (mentioning details of shopkeeper/staff) on shops during Kanwar Yatra last year...I said that if you ask me from a religious point of view, I would like to say that any individual who is willing to follow dharma, who takes 'diksha' for any ritual that they would undertake the Kanwar Yatra, they adopt some rules - that they would go barefoot, consume just fruits, have just one meal a day, wear just a particular set of clothes, follow celibacy, not lie and so on. There is a rule for sacred food too, which says that there is no provision for buying cooked food in Sanatan Dharma; this is a Western culture where we buy cooked food. In our culture, cooked food is neither sold nor purchased. Raw material can be bought and sold. Purchasing raw material from anyone has not been considered unholy in our 'dharma shastra',' he added. Meanwhile, Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. Months ahead of the elections, the battle has been intensifying between the grand alliance, Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD and Congress, and the ruling NDA, which includes the BJP, JDU, LJP (Ram Vilas), and HAM. (ANI)
