New Delhi [India], June 29 : CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Sandosh Kumar on Sunday wrote a letter to RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, urging him to recognise the critical role of secularism and socialism as foundational values of the Indian Constitution after RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call for reconsideration of the words "secularism" and "socialism" from the Preamble of the Constitution.
In his letter, Kumar criticised recent statements made by the senior RSS functionary, questioning these principles and arguing that they are essential to India's pluralistic and just society.
He also urged the RSS to formally accept the Constitution and cease actions that undermine its spirit.
"These principles are not arbitrary insertions but foundational ideals that emerged from the lived experiences of India's oppressed and the visionary imagination of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and many others who sought to create a just, pluralistic Republic. In a diverse country like ours, secularism ensures unity in diversity, while socialism promises justice and dignity to each of our citizens. To ridicule or reject these values is to negate the promise made to the people of India at the moment of our nation's liberation from colonial rule," Kumar wrote.
The letter also criticises RSS's historical stance in contrast to CPI(M)'s progressive policies and its active role during the anti-colonial movement.
"While revolutionaries, peasants, workers, students, and patriotic forces, many of them from my party, the Communist Party of India, faced the British with courage and sacrifice, the RSS watched from the sidelines. We played an active role in the anti-colonial movement, participated in mass upsurges, and later, wholeheartedly supported the framing of our Constitution. We upheld the tricolour with pride, stood for land reforms, supported the abolition of privy purses, defended the public sector, fought for bank nationalisation, and worked to institutionalise social justice and labour rights. The RSS, in contrast, mocked these struggles, opposed the national flag, and undermined every progressive policy meant to democratise Indian society," he stated.
The CPI(M) leader further questioned the RSS's commitment to the Constitution, referencing MS Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, whose writings according to Sandosh allegedly viewed democracy and equality as alien to Indian culture and admired Nazi Germany.
"In this light, I wish to ask you plainly: does the RSS truly accept the Indian Constitution and its fundamental values? Or does it draw inspiration from the writings of M.S. Golwalkar, who referred to democracy and equality as alien to Indian culture and held Nazi Germany as a model? Why has the RSS never formally passed a resolution accepting the Constitution as it stands? Why do its members repeatedly undermine the Constitution, provoke communal sentiments, and promote historical distortions? India needs answers--not obfuscations," Kumar demanded, calling for clarity and accountability.
Kumar urged Bhagwat to counsel RSS cadres to uphold the Constitution, warning against the dangers of division.
"It is time the RSS stop inflaming these debates for the sake of polarisation. Our people, Dalits, Muslims, Christians, Adivasis, backward castes, women, and the poor all deserve peace, dignity, and progress, not hatred and fear. I urge you to counsel your cadres to uphold the Constitution in letter and spirit. Let us all learn from history, including the history of Guru Golwalkar's favourite Nazi Germany: those who divide societies may win temporary power, but they leave behind enduring wreckage," he concluded.
Earlier, RSS general secretary Hosabale suggested reconsidering the inclusion of the terms "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Hosabale was addressing an event 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 remarked that during the emergency, terms like "socialist" and "secular" were forcibly inserted into the Constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered.