Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury noticed that the words ‘Socialist’ and ‘Secular’ were absent from the Preamble of the Constitution. These copies were distributed to the MPs on September 19, 2023.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal responded by saying that the original Constitution did not contain these terms. They were added later through the 42nd amendment. He suggested that the distributed copies must be of the original document.
On September 18, the Lok Sabha Secretariat had announced that MPs would receive a calligraphed copy of the original Constitution. This was to commemorate the inaugural session of Parliament in the new building.
Preamble And Amendment
The Constituent Assembly gave the nod to the preamble on January 22, 1947. It outlines the Constitution’s philosophy, basic principles, and objectives. The original preamble from 1950 began as follows: “We, the people of India, Having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign democratic republic and to…” The terms ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ were incorporated later during the 1976 Emergency, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s rule, through The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act.
‘Socialist’ And ‘Secular’
Indira Gandhi, aiming to bolster her popularity, used phrases like “garibi hatao”. She included the term ‘socialist’ in the Preamble to highlight that socialism was a chief aim and belief of India. Yet, she emphasised that India’s version of socialism differed from that of the USSR or China at that time.
Secularism, as defined in the Constitution, implies that the state treats all religions with equal respect. It remains neutral and unbiased towards every religion, refraining from endorsing any one religion as the “state religion”.
Clarifying Secularism’s Role
Even before the 1976 amendment, the Constitution inherently embodied secularism. The 42nd Amendment simply formalised this by explicitly inserting the term, thereby underscoring what the Constitution’s various provisions already implied.
In 2020, Rakesh Sinha, a BJP MP, submitted a proposal in the Rajya Sabha to remove the word ‘socialism’ from the Preamble. He argued that it is unfair to bind a generation to a specific mode of thought.
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Earlier Discussion
Earlier, in 2008, when a request for the removal of ‘socialist’ was presented before the Supreme Court, the justices responded by asking why socialism was being constricted to the definition provided by Communists. They suggested that in a broader context, socialism encompasses welfare initiatives for citizens.
Secularism, like socialism, has been subject to diverse interpretations and debates in the Indian political and societal realm. On one hand, it represents the separation of religion from the state, thereby promising equal treatment of all religions by the government. On the other hand, critics argue that secularism in India leans towards appeasement of minority religions, leading to an imbalance of rights and privileges.
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This dichotomy sparks recurring debates about the true nature and implementation of secularism, and whether it is being used as a tool for political manoeuvring rather than adhering to its fundamental principle of religious neutrality. These conversations ultimately shape the understanding and interpretation of secularism in the context of India’s diverse and complex socio-political landscape.