No intention to remove 'socialism', 'secularism' from Preamble: Govt

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The Union government has "no current plan or intention" to reconsider or remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution inserted during the Emergency period, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

The House was also told that the government has not "formally" initiated any legal or constitutional process to remove the two words from the Preamble of the Constitution.

In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said while there may be discussions or debates in certain public or political circles, "no formal decision or proposal has been announced by the government" regarding amendments to these terms.

"The government's official stand is that there is no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution. Any discussions regarding amendments to the Preamble would require thorough deliberation and broad consensus, but as of now, the government has not initiated any formal process to change these provisions," the minister asserted.

He pointed out that in November 2024, the Supreme Court had also dismissed petitions challenging the 1976 amendment (42nd Constitutional Amendment), which affirmed that Parliament's power to amend the Constitution extends to the Preamble.

The court clarified that "socialism" in the Indian context signifies a welfare state and does not impede private sector growth, while "secularism" is integral to the Constitution's basic structure.

Regarding the atmosphere created by the office-bearers of some social organisations, Meghwal said certain groups may be expressing opinions or advocating for reconsideration of these words.

"Such activities can create a public discourse or atmosphere around the issue, but this does not necessarily reflect the official stance or actions of the government," he said.

Last month, then vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar had asserted that the words inserted in the Preamble of the Constitution through an amendment during the Emergency era were a "festering wound", lending weight to the call by a top RSS leader for a review of the added terms 'secular' and 'socialist'.

Wading into the political row sparked by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call for a national debate on whether the terms 'secular' and 'socialist' to define India's foundational values should remain in the Preamble, Dhankhar had said the Preamble is sacrosanct and "not changeable". He further said the added words were a "sacrilege to the spirit of Sanatan".