New Delhi
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said that the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, which forms its foundational spirit, should not have been altered. Speaking at a book launch event in New Delhi, Dhankhar asserted that the Preamble is the “seed” from which the Constitution grows and is not meant to be changed.
He pointed out that India is the only democracy where the Preamble has been amended. “This Preamble was changed through the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976 during the Emergency,” he said, referring to the addition of the terms “socialist,” “secular,” and “integrity.”
Dhankhar’s remarks came days after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for a national debate on whether the terms “socialist” and “secular” should remain in the Preamble. The RSS claimed that these words were not part of the Constitution originally drafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
The opposition, led by the Congress, criticised the statements, accusing the RSS of attempting to undermine Ambedkar’s vision and the foundational values of the Constitution. They termed the move as “political opportunism” and a “deliberate assault” on constitutional ideals.
An article in the RSS-linked magazine Organiser supported the call, saying the goal was not to dismantle the Constitution but to restore its “original spirit” by removing distortions introduced during the Emergency. Union Minister Jitendra Singh defended Hosabale’s remarks, saying every “right-thinking citizen” would acknowledge that the inserted words were not part of the original constitutional text.