Latest news with #BRAmbedkar
Time of India
an hour ago
- Business
- Time of India
Approval delay forces postponement of Ambedkar Law School building ceremony
Nagpur: The ground-breaking ceremony for the new state-of-the-art building of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar School of Law, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed due to pending administrative approval from the state government. Nagpur University (NU) had planned a grand ceremony to be attended by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who was also to inaugurate the country's first Constitution Preamble Park and unveil a life-size statue of Dr BR Ambedkar on the campus. School of Law director Ravishankar Mor told TOI that the Rs250-crore proposal has cleared two levels of scrutiny and is now with the state's ministry of higher and technical education. "The project is on fast track. The design and technical hurdles have been cleared. Once the finance department gives its nod, we will proceed with laying the foundation stone," he said, adding that the approval is expected shortly. The project is part of the institution's centenary-year transformation. Formerly known as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Law College, the institute has a rich legacy, having produced two Chief Justices of India, a Prime Minister, and several Supreme Court and High Court judges, besides eminent lawyers. In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the NU recently merged its postgraduate law department with the college to form the School of Law, which now offers education from undergraduate to PhD level under one roof. The new five-storeyed academic block will come up on open land behind the existing college building. Designed to mirror landmark structures like the RBI, High Court and GPO, the building will house two large auditoriums and curved, tech-enabled classrooms. A three-level basement parking facility for up to 5,000 vehicles is also part of the ambitious plan.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Preamble not changeable': VP Dhankhar weighs in on Constitution debate; calls for 'reflection'
NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday called the Preamble as the soul of the constitution. Speaking at a book launch event, Dhankhar acknowledged that India was the only country where the Preamble had been amended, a reference to the 42nd Amendment enacted during the Emergency in 1976. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976,' he said, as quoted by news agency PTI. 'We must reflect. B R Ambedkar did painstaking work on the Constitution and he must have surely focussed on it," PTI quoted the VP saying. The Vice President's came following comments by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who questioned the legitimacy of the inclusion of 'secular' and 'socialist' in the Preamble — a position that has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. On Thursday, Hosabale stirred political waters by arguing at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency that 'secular' and 'socialist' were inserted into the Constitution during a period of authoritarian rule and should now be reviewed. He said these terms were not part of the original draft authored by Dr B R Ambedkar and were forcibly added during a time when civil liberties were crushed and democratic institutions undermined. BJP leaders including Union ministers Jitendra Singh and Shivraj Singh Chouhan said any 'right-thinking citizen' would support such a review. 'The word secularism was added during the Emergency. It should be removed. The country should think about this,' Chouhan said, arguing that equality of all religions is already the Indian ethos. Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC echoed the sentiment, suggesting that terms like 'pseudo-secularism' have undermined India's democratic principles. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Rahul Gandhi: 'RSS wants Manusmriti, not Constitution' Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS-BJP of harbouring a hidden agenda to dismantle the Constitution and deny the poor and marginalised their rights. 'RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution. They want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again,' he posted on X. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accused the RSS of never accepting the Constitution. 'The RSS has NEVER accepted the Constitution of India... The RSS and the BJP have repeatedly given the call for a new Constitution. This was Mr Modi's campaign cry during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,' he posted on X.
New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Preamble 'not changeable', but was 'changed' in 1976 during Emergency, says VP Dhankhar
NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday asserted that the Preamble of a constitution is "not changeable" as it is the "seed" on which the document grows. He said the preamble of no other constitution has undergone change except that of India. "But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976," he said noting that the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added. "We must reflect," he said adding that B R Ambedkar did painstaking work on the Constitution and he must have "surely focused on it". His remarks at a book launch event here came after the RSS on Thursday 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.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Preamble 'not changeable', but was 'changed' in 1976 during Emergency, says Jagdeep Dhankhar
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday asserted that the Preamble of a constitution is "not changeable" as it is the "seed" on which the document grows. He said the preamble of no other constitution has undergone change except that of India. "But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976," he said noting that the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added. "We must reflect," he said adding that B R Ambedkar did painstaking work on the Constitution and he must have "surely focussed on it". His remarks at a book launch event here came after the RSS on Thursday 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. Live Events The Congress and other opposition parties have slammed RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call for a national debate on whether the terms 'secular' and 'socialist' should remain in the Preamble, terming it "political opportunism" and a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution. As Hosabale's strong pitch for a review of the two words inserted in the Preamble of the Constitution during the Emergency days (1975-77) kicked up a political row, an article published in an RSS-linked magazine Organiser said it is not about dismantling the Constitution but about restoring its "original spirit", free from the "distortions" of the Congress' Emergency-era policies. Union minister Jitendra Singh and senior BJP leader sought to defend the call by the second senior most functionary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS), saying any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr B R Ambedkar.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Time to debate socialism, secularism in Constitution, says BJP leader and Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan
Shivraj Chouhan, a senior BJP leader, sparked a debate. He suggested reconsidering the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' in the Constitution. Chouhan argued these terms do not reflect India's cultural values. Dattatreya Hosabale of RSS also called for a review. Union Minister Jitendra Singh supported the proposal. He stated these words were not in the original Constitution by BR Ambedkar. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan on Friday suggested that it is time for a thoughtful debate about the words " socialism and secularism " in the Constitution's Preamble while asserting that these two terms do not reflect India's core cultural remarks came a day after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for a review of addition of socialism and secularism in the Constitution's Preamble, saying these two words were not in the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar . However, Chouhan underlined that harmony among all religions is the core of Indian culture and socialism."Secularism is not the core of our culture and hence it must be considered that the word secular which was added during the Emergency should be removed," Chouhan about socialism, Chouhan said 'Jiyo aur Jeene do' (Live and let others live) and 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah' (May all be happy), are the basic nature of India's culture, so there is no need for the word "socialism".Echoing similar sentiments, Union minister Jitendra Singh while speaking in Jammu, said, "Any right-thinking citizen will endorsewhat Hosabale has proposed as he asserted that "socialism" and "secularism" were not in the original Constitution written by Dr BR Ambedkar.
