Congress slams RSS for seeking review of ‘secular’, ‘socialist’ in Preamble

The Congress on Friday attacked the RSS for seeking to review the words “socialist” and “secular” in the Preamble of the Constitution.

The party further alleged that the ideological mentor of the BJP never accepted Babasaheb Ambdekar’s Constitution and that its demand was part of the conspiracy to destroy it.

The Congress’ reaction came after the RSS called for reviewing the words “socialist” and “secular” in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by Ambedkar.

Congress general secretary in-charge (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the RSS “never accepted” the Constitution of India. “It attacked Dr Ambedkar, Nehru and others involved in its framing from November 30, 1949, onwards. In RSS’ own words, the Constitution was not inspired by Manusmriti,” he said in a post on X.

"The RSS and the BJP have repeatedly given the call for a new Constitution. This was PM Narendra Modi’s campaign cry during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The people of India decisively rejected this cry. Yet the demands for changing the basic structure of the Constitution continues to be made by the RSS ecosystem,” Ramesh said.

He said the Chief Justice of India himself delivered a judgment on November 25, 2024, on the issue that is now being raised by a leading RSS functionary. “Would it be asking too much to request him to take the trouble to read it?” he added.

In a post on X, the Congress alleged that the thinking of the RSS-BJP is “anti-constitutional”. “Now RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has demanded a change in the Preamble of the Constitution. Hosabale says the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ should be removed from the Preamble of the Constitution. This is the conspiracy to destroy Baba Saheb’s Constitution, which the RSS-BJP has always been hatching,” the party said.