Preamble of Constitution 'not changeable': VP Dhankhar on RSS demand
What's the story
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said the Preamble of the Constitution is "not changeable," but it was amended during the Emergency in 1976. His comments come amid a controversy after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) called for a review of the words "socialist" and "secular" from the Preamble. The terms were added during the Emergency under the 42nd Amendment Act.
Original intent
No other country has changed its preamble: VP Dhankhar
Dhankhar emphasized that the Preamble is the "seed" on which the Constitution grows, and no other country has changed its Preamble. He said B R Ambedkar, who drafted the Constitution, must have "surely focused on it." His remarks were made at a book launch event amid a political row over the RSS's demand to review terms added during the Emergency.
Political backlash
RSS calls for debate on inclusion of 'socialist,' 'secular'
The RSS's general secretary, Dattatreya Hosabale, called for a national debate on the inclusion of "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble. He argued these terms were forcibly added during the Emergency and should be reviewed. The Congress and other opposition parties have slammed this as "political opportunism" and a "deliberate assault" on the Constitution's soul.
Defense and support
BJP leaders back call for review
An RSS-linked magazine defended the review as an attempt to restore the Constitution's "original spirit," free from "distortions" of Congress's Emergency-era policies. Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have also backed the call for a review, arguing secularism was imported from the West and doesn't represent Indian culture. "The basic sentiment of India is equality of all religions... Secularism is not the core of our culture," former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan told news agency ANI.