In a divisive and ideologically laced address, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday criticized the 1976 amendment to the Constitution's Preamble during the Emergency, terming the amendment a "nasoor" (pun intended) and "an unpardonable insult to the Sanatan soul of India."
The Vice President's remarks, made at a book release event at his official residence, sharply echoed the ideological platform of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The Preamble is the soul of the Constitution," Dhankhar stated, denouncing the contentious amendments that added the words 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the constitution's foundational framework. "It was defaced during the darkest period of Indian democracy – the Emergency – when phrases such as 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' were added under compulsion.
Terming the 42nd Constitutional Amendment as both "unjust" and "illegitimate," he went on, "We tinkered with something that should never have been tampered with. And that too, not according to the people's will but at a time when the people, the source of the power, were behind bars."
The Vice President's vehement protests echoed long-standing RSS fears of the use of the words 'socialist' and 'secular', which saffron camp critics have frequently complained were an affront to India's civilisational identity.
He went on to note that no democratic country in the world has ever changed the fundamental values incorporated into its Preamble, describing the 1976 amendment as "a betrayal of our civilisational ethos and the intentions of our Constitution makers."
Referring to judicial precedent, Dhankhar cited landmark Supreme Court judgments like Kesavananda Bharati and Golaknath, saying the judiciary had always regarded the Preamble as the guiding spirit of the Constitution.
He also cited Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, referring to him as "a visionary who lives in our soul," and underlined the need to uphold the Constitution's sanctity at a time of what he characterized as growing political polarization and caste-based fragmentation.
Dhankhar's speech is likely to fuel the current debate on reinstating the 'original Preamble'—a movement that has gained mounting traction in right-wing ideological circles.
Only two days ago, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale ignited political controversy when he publicly advocated for the deletion of the terms 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble, contending they were "forcibly" added during the Emergency.
The Vice President's words seem to strengthen that narrative, provoking instant reactions from the opposition parties. The Congress and other national and regional parties have since increased their denunciation of the RSS, accusing it of seeking to subvert the very constitutional values.
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