TNR News Network
Dharamshala: In a move that has reignited a long-standing ideological clash, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has called for a reconsideration of the words “secular” and “socialist” in the Preamble of the Constitution, arguing they were not part of the original draft crafted by Dr BR Ambedkar. The Congress, on the other hand, has hit back sharply, accusing the RSS and BJP of hatching a conspiracy to rewrite the very foundation of the Indian Republic.
The controversy resurfaced during an RSS event in Delhi on June 26 marking 50 years of the Emergency, when RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale questioned the continued relevance of the two terms, calling them political insertions made during a time when democracy was under suspension.
RSS says Ambedkar never used these words
At the centre of the RSS’s argument is the historical fact that the words “secular” and “socialist” were not part of the original Constitution when it came into force in 1950.
“These were added later through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976, during the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Babasaheb Ambedkar never used these words in the Preamble,” said Hosabale, who is the second-in-command of the RSS, noting that their inclusion happened at a time when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament was non-functional and the judiciary weakened.
He said the Preamble was meant to be eternal and questioned whether an ideology like socialism should be considered eternal for India. “Whether these words should continue in the Preamble must be thoughtfully reconsidered,” he said, reviving a debate that occasionally surfaces in right-wing circles.
Hosabale also demanded a formal apology from the Congress for the imposition of Emergency, calling it one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.
Congress calls it attack on Ambedkar’s Constitution
Reacting sharply, the Congress released a statement accusing the RSS of trying to dismantle Ambedkar’s Constitution.
“Now, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has demanded changes in the Preamble of the Constitution. This is a conspiracy to destroy Babasaheb’s Constitution, a mission that the RSS-BJP has always been pursuing,” the Congress said, adding that the Sangh had opposed and even burnt copies of the Constitution when it was first adopted.
The party also linked Hosabale’s remarks to the BJP’s previous assertions during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where some BJP leaders had openly said they needed 400-plus seats to change the Constitution. “The people of India taught them a lesson in the elections. Now they are back to their conspiracy mode, but the Congress will never let them succeed,” the statement added.
Supreme Court dismissed plea in 2024
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time the terms “secular” and “socialist” have come under legal scrutiny. In January 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed a batch of petitions seeking the removal of these words from the Preamble, saying the matter had been settled in earlier constitutional rulings and no case for reconsideration was made out.
Despite the apex court’s stance, the debate continues to simmer politically. “For the RSS, which sees “Bharatiya” cultural identity as being rooted in religion and tradition rather than Western ideology like secularism and socialism, the current Preamble is an incongruent legacy of Emergency-era politics.
For the Congress and other parties that view secularism as non-negotiable in a pluralistic democracy, this demand is nothing short of an ideological assault on the soul of India’s Constitution,” said Vinay Chauhan, a political analyst.
