Opposition Objects to Missing Socialist', Secular' in Preamble

NEW DELHI: The Opposition raised an objection on Wednesday regarding the government providing them with a copy of the Constitution whose Preamble lacked the words "secular" and "socialist." However, the government responded by stating that the MPs were provided with a copy of the original Constitution, which did not include these two words, as they were added later through a Constitutional amendment.

“The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us... its Preamble doesn't have the words 'socialist secular.' We know that the words were added after an amendment in 1976, but if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn't have those words, it is a matter of concern... They have been cleverly removed... This is a serious matter, and we will raise this issue,” said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, while alleging that the words "secular" and "socialist" were missing from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution given to lawmakers on the opening day of the new Parliament building. He added, "For me, this is a serious issue. I doubt their intentions as their heart does not seem to be clear on this."

Responding to the allegations, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal clarified that the copies given to the MPs carried the original version of the Preamble of the Constitution, and these words were added later through constitutional amendments. “This is as per the original Preamble. Amendments were made later," Meghwal said.

However, Chowdhury expressed doubts about the intentions of the BJP government, terming the matter as serious and stating that the words had been “cleverly removed.”

"How can it be? What's there in their mind is reflected through their actions. Now the Preamble and the Constitution have been amended. The most important words, Socialist and Secular, were avoided in the Preamble. It is clearly the message that the Government is giving... It is totally unfortunate,” said Congress MP K.C. Venugopal. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also raised an objection to the missing words.

Binoy Viswam of the CPI termed the omission of the words as a "crime." Several Opposition MPs, including those from the Left and other parties, are likely to raise the matter at their meeting.

The Supreme Court will, on September 23, hear a petition filed by former BJP MP Dr Subramanian Swamy, seeking the removal of the words “socialist” and “secular” from the preamble of the Indian Constitution.