Several opposition parties strongly condemned RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabales recent call to review the inclusion of the words socialist and secular in the Preamble, labeling it a direct attack on the Constitutions core principles. They described it as a deliberate assault on the very soul of the Constitution. The criticism came a day after Hosabale stated that the two terms were inserted during the Emergency and were not part of the original Constitution framed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The Congress accused the RSS and BJP of never accepting Ambedkars Constitution. Rahul Gandhi claimed that the RSS wants to replace the Constitution with Manusmriti, as they are uncomfortable with its values of justice, secularism, and equality. He warned that the true aim of the RSS-BJP is to take away the rights of the poor and marginalized, and pledged to resist any such effort.

CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed Hosabales remarks, calling it an attempt to destroy the Republics foundational ideals. He accused the RSS of hypocrisy, noting that it cooperated with the Indira Gandhi regime during the Emergency but now uses that period to justify undermining the Constitution. Other Left parties and the RJD echoed this sentiment, calling the RSS proposal part of a broader conspiracy to rewrite the Constitution. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reiterated that the RSS and BJP have repeatedly advocated for a new Constitution and claimed their recent electoral defeat showed public rejection of this agenda.

Congress, through its official handle, emphasized that removing the terms would be an assault on Ambedkars inclusive vision, adding that the RSS had historically rejected and even burned copies of the Constitution. Senior Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said the true intentions of the RSS-BJP had once again been revealed, and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav branded the RSS a casteist organization hostile to democracy and social justice. RJD MP Manoj Jha and the CPI(M) Politburo insisted that secularism and socialism reflect the spirit of India’s freedom movement and are foundational to the Constitution. The CPI(M) warned of the RSSs goal to establish a Hindu Rashtra and urged citizens to resist any attempts to tamper with the Constitution.

CPI General Secretary D Raja added that the RSSs intentions were well known and that defending the Constitution had become the core issue for the opposition. Meanwhile, Hosabale, speaking at an Emergency-related event, said the terms socialist and secular were added during a time when democratic institutions were weakened, and suggested that it’s time to reconsider their place in the Preamble. However, Union Minister Jitendra Singh defended Hosabale, arguing that any reasonable person would agree with his point, as those words were not originally part of Ambedkar’s draft.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Business Standard.