Assam CM questions secular, socialist values

Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday stirred controversy by calling for the removal of the words “socialism” and “secularism” from the Constitution, claiming they are Western concepts that do not align with Indian civilisation.

Speaking at the launch of the book The Emergency Diaries: Years That Forged a Leader in Assam, Sarma argued that these terms were introduced by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency era and were inconsistent with India’s cultural ethos.

“How can I be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. A Muslim is a hardcore Muslim. How can he be secular?” Sarma questioned, rejecting the Western idea of religious neutrality. He stated that Indian secularism is about positive alignment, not neutrality.

The book he unveiled documents the 1975-77 Emergency and recounts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early political activism as an RSS pracharak. Sarma used the occasion to highlight what he described as the long-lasting damages caused by the Emergency, urging the public to never forget that dark period of Indian democracy.

Criticising socialism, Sarma said it was another concept imposed on India by Gandhi. He noted that India traditionally followed an economic principle based on trusteeship and welfare of the marginalised. “The BJP didn’t have to dismantle socialism; Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh did it for the Congress during the 1991 liberalisation,” he added. Sarma’s remarks have sparked sharp political reactions, with Opposition leaders accusing the BJP and its ideological affiliates of trying to dilute the Constitution’s foundational values.