Remove the Words ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’

On the surface, secularism and socialism may seem like decent, straightforward, and innocent words. But over the past 50 years, Bharatiyas have come to realise that these two very words have deeply harmed Bharatiya society, culture, and civilization. Under the guise of these ideals, injustice has been perpetrated, and repeated attacks have been carried out against the majority Hindu population. These words have, in effect, eroded the very soul of the Bharatiya way of life.

The renewed discussion on this issue comes in light of a statement by Shri. Dattatreya Hosabale, Sarkaryavah  of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who has called for the removal of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ from the Bharatiya Constitution. Although this demand has been raised before by many citizens who are patriotic and devout followers of Dharma, the fact that the RSS has now formally reiterated it lends the issue greater gravity and attention.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, echoing this sentiment in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, emphasized the need to undo the constitutional changes made during the Emergency. Since this demand is now being raised by a Union Minister, essentially, by the Government itself, the public expects swift and decisive action. The people want the Union Government to show courage to remove not only these controversial terms but also revoke all other anti-national and specifically anti-Hindu amendments.

This year marks 50 years since the imposition of Emergency. The Union Government has declared 25th June as Samvidhan Hatya Divas. On this day in 1975, the then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi addressed the Nation, claiming that a widespread conspiracy had been hatched against her pro-people decisions, and declared a state of Emergency with the approval of the President. What followed was a two-year period (1975-1977) marked by arrests of opposition leaders, detentions without trial, harassment of patriots, and custodial deaths. Even RSS leaders were imprisoned. During this time, Indira Gandhi ruled with unchecked power, suppressing civil liberties and imposing a dictatorial regime.

It was during this very period that she committed a grievous wrong of forcefully inserting the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ into the Constitution through the 42nd Amendment, thereby pushing the country a few years back in the process.

An Unconstitutional Amendment

Debates on the Constitution’s Preamble took place on 3rd December 1946 and 22^nd January 1947. At that time, it was unanimously accepted in its original form. On two occasions – 15^th November and 3^rd December 1948, Professor KT Shah proposed the inclusion of the words ‘socialist’, ‘secular’, and ‘federal’ in the Preamble. Both times, the Constituent Assembly overwhelmingly rejected the proposals. On 6^th December 1948, during further discussions, Pandit Loknath Mishra pointed out that the concept of secularism was foreign to Bharatiya culture and warned that its inclusion would degrade Bharatiya values. Thus, the Constitution was originally adopted without these words.

In March 1976, with the Lok Sabha’s term expired, Indira Gandhi extended its duration by a year. Later in December 1976, under the shadow of Emergency and without proper parliamentary functioning, the 42nd Amendment was passed, inserting ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ into the Preamble. According to prominent Supreme Court advocate and staunch proponent of Hindutva,  Ashwini Upadhyay, this Amendment is technically and procedurally unconstitutional and was passed when Indira Gandhi lacked legitimate authority and when the Lok Sabha was not functioning as required. The fact that such a grave error has gone uncorrected for over four decades is itself a significant failure.

Injustice to Hindus

Article 28 of the Constitution states that no education on religion shall be imparted in any educational institution funded wholly or partially by the State. As a result, schools and colleges are prohibited from teaching texts like the Shrimadbhagawadgeeta, Ramayan, or Mahabharat. But when one reads Article 30, it becomes evident that Article 28 applies only to the majority Hindus. Article 30 grants minorities the right to establish and administer their own institutions and to impart education on religion, with full State support and funding. This allows madarasas to teach Quran and Hadith, and convent schools to teach the Bible. This is what the so-called secularism looks like.

In the name of secularism, commissions like the Sachar Committee, the National Commission for Minorities, the Waqf Act, and the Places of Worship Act have all been instituted – each of them clearly discriminatory against Hindus. Ironically, these were provisions that even Dr BR Ambedkar – the principal architect of the Constitution – never wanted. Their forceful insertion during the Emergency not only distorts the spirit of the Constitution but also amounts to an insult to Dr Ambedkar. One must ask why leaders of the Ambedkar movement, such as Prakash Ambedkar, remain silent on this issue.

Even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi admits that the Emergency was a mistake. Yet, why does he do nothing to correct that mistake ?

The facts are stark. Indira Gandhi and the Congress leadership of the time wanted to suppress Hindus while appeasing minorities, especially Muslims. And this trend has continued for 77 years since Independence.

Therefore, there is no need for further expert opinions. What is needed is the political will to correct these errors. The Government must show courage and remove these terms from the Constitution, eliminating all amendments that are anti-national or anti-Hindu. The Bharatiyas hope that the Government will cleanse the Constitution of inappropriate distortions and restore the dignity by officially declaring Bharat a ‘Hindu Rashtra’; thus, granting the majority Hindu population the right to live with pride and self-respect.

Indira Gandhi & Congress leadership of the time wanted to suppress Hindus while appeasing minorities, especially Muslims !

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