Marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, observed by the BJP-led central government as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ on June 25, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale reignited a long-standing demand, the removal of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
At a time when India is recalling the darkest period in its democratic history, Hosabale’s statement is more than symbolic. It is a powerful reminder of the ideological distortions imposed during the Emergency and an urgent call to correct what he termed a political imposition that never reflected the spirit of India’s foundational values.
A Timely Demand Amidst National Reflection
Hosabale, addressing an event in Delhi, lambasted the Congress party for imposing Emergency on June 25, 1975. He accused the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of stifling civil liberties, muzzling the press, jailing over a lakh citizens, and carrying out forced sterilisation on an unprecedented scale. He stated, “Those who did such things are today moving around with the Constitution’s copy. They have still not apologised… Apologise in the name of your ancestors.”
He underlined how the Congress used Emergency as a vehicle to rewrite the Preamble without national consensus. The additions of ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ were inserted through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976 when fundamental rights were suspended, the judiciary silenced, and Parliament rendered ineffective. “Are the thoughts of socialism as an ideology eternal for India? The Preamble is eternal, but socialism is not,” he said.
The Origin of ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’: An Undemocratic Insert
The terms ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ were never part of the original Constitution drafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and adopted in 1950. These words were inserted during the Emergency under the controversial 42nd Amendment, bypassing public discourse and democratic debate.
“Babasaheb Ambedkar never used these words in the preamble of the Constitution. The words were added during Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not function, and the judiciary became lame.” Hosabale said
Critics have long pointed out that these ideological insertions were politically motivated, designed to suit the Congress party’s narrative during its authoritarian rule. “So whether they should remain in the preamble should be considered,” Hosabale rightly questioned their legitimacy, especially given the context in which they were introduced.
RSS’s Consistent Opposition to Ideological Insertions
Hosabale is not the first Sangh leader to raise this issue. The RSS has consistently maintained that the terms dilute India’s civilisational ethos and promote selective appeasement under the garb of secularism. Senior RSS figures like Mohan Bhagwat and late leader Balasaheb Deoras have also voiced concern over the misuse of secularism to target majority sentiments and restrict cultural freedoms.
Their argument is that true secularism is inherently present in India’s cultural DNA, and there is no need to artificially enshrine it in the Preamble under foreign ideological influence. The term ‘socialist’ too, they argue, contradicts India’s growing market-based economy and entrepreneurial spirit.
RSS Calls Out Congress Hypocrisy
During his speech, Hosabale did not mince words in holding the Congress accountable for historic excesses. He challenged Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders to publicly apologise for the Emergency, stating, “You must apologise for this to the country.” He reiterated that an apology is owed to the 60 lakh people forcibly sterilised, 250 journalists imprisoned, and judicial independence wrecked during those 21 months.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, also present at the event, echoed the sentiment, recalling how the Emergency was a complete subversion of democracy.
Time for Constitutional Clarity
The call to remove ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ from the Preamble is not an assault on democracy but an attempt to restore the Constitution to its original spirit. India’s civilisational ethos inherently respects all religions and belief systems without needing Western labels imposed under duress. As the nation commemorates those who suffered during the Emergency, it is also the right moment to critically examine the ideological baggage inherited from that dark era.
Hosabale’s demand is a timely reminder that democracy must also mean the courage to correct historical wrongs. The Constitution is not a frozen document, but a living one and perhaps it is time to let go of distortions born in authoritarian darkness.
