The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has made it clear that the government has not initiated any official process to drop the terms "socialist" and "secular" from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
In reply to a question placed by MP Ramji Lal Suman in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Law and Justice (independent charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal asserted that there is no official decision or proposal pending consideration regarding changing the Preamble.
Meghwal invoked the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment, which again asserted that socialism is India's commitment to the welfare state, and that secularism is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution. He also made a distinction between public debate and state policy. "With respect to the atmosphere generated by office bearers of some social organisations, there is a possibility that some groups may be venting their views or calling for reconsideration of these words… but such does not necessarily indicate the official position or action of the government," he informed Parliament.
His remarks are set against the backdrop of fresh demands made by some BJP leaders and ideological partners to again review the addition of the two words, which were added during the Emergency in 1976. Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has earlier called the addition a "betrayal" of the founding principles of the Constitution. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale have also expressed reservations about their continued applicability.
Addressing an event in Delhi on June 26, Hosabale stated, "The nation had no Parliament, no rights, no judiciary during the Emergency and yet these two words were prefixed." Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also shared similar views, implying the terms are not in sync with the country's cultural values.
These comments sparked strong opposition criticism. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded on social media platform X, stating, “The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism and justice.” Party colleague Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP and RSS of pursuing a long-standing agenda to alter the Constitution. “The RSS and BJP have repeatedly given the call for a new Constitution. This was (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s campaign cry during the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The citizens firmly turned down this call. but demands for altering the fundamental framework of the Constitution persist," he asserted.
In his valedictory speech, Meghwal reiterated that any modifications to the Preamble would necessitate deep deliberation and broad consensus. "Any debate on amendment to the preamble would need deep discussion and broad consensus, but so far, the government has not taken any official process to alter these provisions," he insisted.
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