Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, has alleged that the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ have been removed from the Preamble of the Constitution of India in the new copies distributed to MPs on Tuesday.
“The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn’t have the words ‘socialist secular’,” Chowdhury said to ANI.
The senior Congress leader pointed out that even though the words were incorporated to the Preamble after an amendment in 1976, “if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn’t have those words, it is a matter of concern.”
He went on to say: “Their intention is suspicious. It has been done cleverly. It is a matter of concern for me. I tried to raise this issue but I did not get an opportunity…”
Passed in 1976, the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, changed the description of India in the Preamble from the words “sovereign democratic republic” to “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic.”
