Accept preamble values, 90% of problems will be resolved, says Fadnavis
Addressing an event in Nagpur, Fadnavis said since the essence of the Constitution is reflected in its preamble, the state government has decided that the preamble should reach students in all schools and colleges during the 'Amrit Mahotsav' of the Constitution.
'If we accept the values of the constitution and its preamble, 90 per cent of the country's will be resolved forever. Therefore, the constitution and preamble are of utmost importance,' he said at the launch of the Constitution Preamble park and unveiling of BR Ambedkar's statue at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Law in Nagpur.
Fadnavis's Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that 'socialism' and 'secularism' were Western concepts, and these words have no place in Indian civilisation. Saying these words should be struck down from the Constitution, he said, 'How can I be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. A Muslim person is a hardcore Muslim person. How can he be secular?'
He was speaking after launching in Assam a book titled 'The Emergency Diaries: Years That Forged a Leader' which is based on first person anecdotes from associates who worked with Narendra Modi, then a young RSS pracharak, and used other archival material. The book chronicles the 1975-77 Emergency era and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in the 'resistance movement'.
Sarma maintained that the Indian concept of secularism is not about being neutral, but it is about being 'positively aligned'.
The word 'secularism' was inserted by people who view it from the Western angle, and it needed to be struck off from the Preamble, Sarma added. The Assam Chief Minister also claimed that the Western concept of socialism was also imposed by Gandhi.
Indian economic principle was based on 'trustee-ship' and helping the marginalised. 'The BJP didn't have to even demolish this concept of socialism. PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh did it for the Congress,' he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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