Secular, socialist not in Ambedkar's draft, time to rethink: RSS

New Delhi: RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Thursday that a rethink on the need to have the words "secularism" and "socialism" in the Preamble to the Constitution must be undertaken as these words were added during the Emergency period and were not part of the original draft laid down by BR Ambedkar.

"During the Emergency, two words were added to the Indian Constitution's Preamble -- secularism and socialism. These were not in the Preamble drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar. These words were added when Parliament was not functioning and the judiciary was made helpless," he said.

"Later (post-Emergency), no attempts were made to remove these two words," Hosabale said. "Now, it needs to be considered whether these two words should remain in the Constitution," he added. Hosabale was speaking at a programme on '50 Years of Emergency' held here, which was also attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla and other prominent BJP leaders.


"The Preamble is eternal. Are the thoughts of socialism as an ideology eternal for India?" he asked.

"Secularism could be part of various central and state policies as it was earlier," he said.

Without naming Congress leader and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the RSS leader said those who imposed Emergency are now roaming around with the Constitution in their pockets.

"They have not apologised to the people of the country till today. They haven't sought forgiveness...They will have to apologise to the nation," Hosabale added.