Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 27 : Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday defended Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's suggestion to reconsider the inclusion of the term "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Indian constitution, saying that any "right-thinking person" would support such a demand as these terms were not part of the original Constitution.
"Any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original constitution, which Dr Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote. This is not the question of BJP vs non-BJP...It is a matter of preserving democratic and constitutional values, and those violating the constitution are actually the biggest violators," Singh told reporters.
He pointed out that the words "Secular" and "Socialist" were added later, through the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution during the emergency, and not by the original drafters.
"Obviously! I don't think there's any doubt about it. Dattatreya Hosabale has stated that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' were added to our Preamble after the Amendment. Dr Ambedkar has crafted one of the world's finest constitutions. If this was not his thinking, how did someone add these words?" Singh added.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah stated that the original Preamble didn't include the terms "secular" and "socialist," as it was evident that India would be a socially just democracy. These terms were added later, at a time when the RSS and its affiliates were attacking these values.
Singh's remarks followed Hosabale's suggestion that it is necessary to reconsider whether the terms "secular and socialist" mentioned in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution should remain.
Hosabale was addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture) and the Ambedkar International Centre.
Speaking at the event, he emphasised that the Emergency wasn't just a misuse of power but an attempt to crush civil liberties. Millions were imprisoned, and freedom of the press was suppressed. He said that those who imposed the Emergency and trampled the constitution and democracy have never apologised. If they cannot apologise personally, they should do so on behalf of their ancestors.
He remarked that during the Emergency, terms like "socialist" and "secular" were forcibly inserted into the constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered.