NEW DELHI: The RSS on Thursday urged a review of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Constitution’s preamble, citing they were added during the Emergency and not included in the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar.
RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabole was addressing an event marking 50 years of the Emergency and said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar never used these words in the preamble of the Constitution . The words were added during the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not function, and the judiciary became lame."
He said that discussions were previously held on this issue, but no concrete outcome was achieved regarding the removal of these words. "So whether they should remain in the preamble should be considered,” said Hosabole.
Taking a jab at the Congress, Hosable demanded an apology for the excesses committed during the Emergency era which witnessed large-scale forced sterilisation, incarceration of people, and the curtailment of the freedom of judiciary and press, he recalled.
"Those who did such things are today moving around with Constitution's copy. They have still not apologised... Apologise," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, union home minister Amit Shah had called the Emergency which was imposed on June 25, 1975, a “dark chapter” and said that the “nation never bows down to dictatorship”. Shah asserted that the Modi government has decided to observe June 25 as “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” annually across the nation.
The Emergency had altered key elements such as the Preamble and the Constitution, weakening the Judiciary and suspending democratic rights, Shah had said.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday had passed a resolution denouncing the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The Cabinet held a meeting chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi and observed a two minute silence as a “tribute to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and who were then subjected to unimaginable horrors.”
RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabole was addressing an event marking 50 years of the Emergency and said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar never used these words in the preamble of the Constitution . The words were added during the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not function, and the judiciary became lame."
He said that discussions were previously held on this issue, but no concrete outcome was achieved regarding the removal of these words. "So whether they should remain in the preamble should be considered,” said Hosabole.
Taking a jab at the Congress, Hosable demanded an apology for the excesses committed during the Emergency era which witnessed large-scale forced sterilisation, incarceration of people, and the curtailment of the freedom of judiciary and press, he recalled.
"Those who did such things are today moving around with Constitution's copy. They have still not apologised... Apologise," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, union home minister Amit Shah had called the Emergency which was imposed on June 25, 1975, a “dark chapter” and said that the “nation never bows down to dictatorship”. Shah asserted that the Modi government has decided to observe June 25 as “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” annually across the nation.
The Emergency had altered key elements such as the Preamble and the Constitution, weakening the Judiciary and suspending democratic rights, Shah had said.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday had passed a resolution denouncing the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The Cabinet held a meeting chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi and observed a two minute silence as a “tribute to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and who were then subjected to unimaginable horrors.”
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