Latest news with #Hindutva
The Hindu
38 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
DYFI supports Zumba classes in Kerala schools
The Kerala unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has offered its support to the State Education department's ongoing initiative offering Zumba classes to school students. DYFI State secretary V.K. Sanoj told the media here on Saturday (June 28, 2025) that the Opposition from certain sections to the programme could be seen against the backdrop of the alleged attempts to create communal discord in society and destroy the secular fabric of Kerala. He claimed that Zumba was not a creation of the Left. It is being practised across the globe as a fitness programme. Mr. Sanoj pointed out that it was introduced in schools to ward off the threat of substance abuse among children. There was no use of skimpy clothes during the sessions, he said, adding that some people were trying to deliberately link it with religion. Mr. Sanoj also blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its Hindutva politics for stoking a controversy related to the Suresh Gopi-starrer Janaki vs State of Kerala. The DYFI leader criticised the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the students' wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, for opposing the Zumba sessions. He asked its leaders to name the school where students performed Zumba wearing skimpy clothes. Wondering if the MSF's ideals were suited for the 'AI age', he accused it of spreading misinformation.
Scroll.in
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
‘Secular' and ‘socialist' not core to Indian culture: Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday claimed that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' are not core to Indian culture and called for a discussion on their removal from the Constitution. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader's comments come a day after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh called for a review of the inclusion of these two terms in the Preamble. The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling BJP. The words 'socialist' and 'secular' were not part of the Constitution adopted in 1950 and were added in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment. Chouhan made the statement while addressing an event in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, marking 50 years since the Emergency was declared by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government in 1975. In a video shared on social media, he said: 'The core of Indian culture is equal respect for all religions and not secular.' Talking about socialism, the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh added that believing everyone to be like oneself is a core Indian thought. 'There is no need for socialism here,' he said. 'We have all said for long that all should be treated alike. So, the word socialism is also not needed.' #WATCH | Varanasi, UP | Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, "The basic sentiment of India is equality of all religions... Secularism is not the core of our culture. The word secularism was added (to our culture) during the Emergency. It should be removed... Live and let… — ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2025 In Jammu, Union Minister Jitendra Singh also supported the RSS's call. ' Any right-thinking citizen ' would agree that these terms were added under exceptional circumstances and were not part of the original Constitution, The New Indian Express quoted Singh as saying. Singh added that Ambedkar crafted ' one of the best Constitutions of the world '' and thus 'if it was not his thinking, then with what thought someone added these words', as per The Indian Express. Meanwhile, on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the RSS for seeking a review of the two words in the Preamble, saying that the Hindutva organisation's ' mask had come off again '. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also said on Friday that the Hindutva organisation's 'proposal' ' exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra, in pursuit of its Hindutva project.' In 2015, a controversy erupted after the BJP-led Union government's newspaper advertisements on Republic Day featured a Preamble with the two words omitted. In September 2023, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the two words were missing from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution distributed to the MPs in the new Parliament building. In November, the Supreme Court rejected a batch of petitions seeking the deletion of the two terms from the Preamble to the Constitution. The court said there was no legitimate justification for challenging the constitutional amendment several decades later.
Scroll.in
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
‘Mask has come off': Rahul Gandhi on RSS calling for review of words in Preamble to Constitution
Criticising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for calling for a review of words in the Preamble to the Constitution, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the Hindutva organisation's ' mask had come off again '. The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Constitution hurts the RSS because it talks about equality, secularism and justice, Gandhi said on social media. 'RSS-BJP does not want the Constitution, but Manusmriti,' said the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. 'They want to enslave the marginalised and the poor again by snatching their rights. Their real agenda is to snatch away a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them.' Gandhi added: 'RSS should stop dreaming like this – we will never let them succeed. Every patriotic Indian will protect the Constitution till the last breath.' The Congress leader's comments came a day after the RSS on Thursday said that the inclusion of the words 'secular' and 'socialist' in the Preamble to the Constitution should be reviewed. 'The words were added during [the] Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not function, and the judiciary became lame,' said RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale. He added: 'So, whether they should remain in the Preamble should be considered. The Preamble is eternal. Are the thoughts of socialism as an ideology eternal for India?' Hosabale made the statements while speaking at an event marking 50 years since the Emergency was declared by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government in 1975. The words 'socialist' and 'secular' were not part of the Constitution adopted in 1950 and were added in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment. In November, the Supreme Court rejected a batch of petitions seeking the deletion of the two terms from the Preamble to the Constitution. The court said there was no legitimate justification for challenging the constitutional amendment several decades later. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said on Friday that the 'proposal' made by the Hindutva organisation ' exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra, in pursuit of its Hindutva project.' The Congress had on Thursday night criticised Hosabale's remarks, saying that the RSS and the BJP's ideology stood in ' direct opposition ' to the Constitution. The remarks were not merely a suggestion, but a 'deliberate assault on the soul of our Constitution', alleged the Opposition party. 'It is part of a long-standing conspiracy to dismantle Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's vision for a just, inclusive and democratic India – something the RSS-BJP has always been plotting,' the party alleged. In 2015, a controversy erupted after the BJP-led Union government's newspaper advertisements on Republic Day featured a Preamble with the two words omitted. In September 2023, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the two words were missing from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution distributed to the MPs in the new Parliament building.
The Hindu
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Vaiko condemns RSS general secretary's call for removal ‘secular', ‘socialist' from Preamble
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko on Friday condemned Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale for suggesting to remove the words 'secular' and 'socialist' that were inserted in the Preamble of the Constitution through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976, during the Emergency. Referring to the recent speech of Mr. Hosabale who had questioned the inclusion of these two terms, claiming that they were not part of the original Preamble and should be deleted, Mr. Vaiko said: 'The RSS and other Hindutva forces have been consistently calling to rewrite the Constitution to impose their idea of a Hindu Rashtra, aimed at dismantling India's pluralistic character and imposing a homogenous national identity based on one religion, one language, one culture, and one nation.' Referring to a Supreme Court verdict that upheld the power of the Parliament to amend the Constitution under Article 368 includes amending the Preamble as well, Mr. Vaiko, in a statement, alleged that the BJP government's actions over the last ten years have undermined the core values of the Constitution such as sovereignty, socialism, secularism, democracy, republic, equality, fraternity, dignity, and national unity. He said 'Democratic and progressive forces across the country should come together and oppose the Hindutva forces' attempts to subvert the Constitution.'
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Murugan Bhakthargal conference held as a political event, says CPI(M) leader
'The Murugan Bhakthargal conference, which ought to be a religious conference, was conducted as a pure political event which was against the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court's order' said Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary P. Shanmugam. Speaking at a public meeting at Tirupparankundram here on Friday, he said that the Murugan Bhakthargal conference, which ought to be a religious conference was conducted as a pure political event which was against the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court's order. He added that: 'The Madras High Court should take a Suo moto case against the Murugan Bhakthargal conference organisers as it was a contempt of the very court which passes directions.' 'Tamil Nadu government by not initiating any action against the organisers for inciting communal hatred is showing a soft corner to the Hindutva forces,' he added. He thanked the people of the State for ignoring the event, realising that it was a political event. 'When lakhs of people visit Palani hills and other Murugan temples for occasions like Thaipoosam and Panguni Uthiram, however, the Murugan conference, portrayed as a religious event, did not receive response from the people,' Mr. Shanmugam noted. As an RSS leader has spoken about the need to remove the words 'socialism,' and 'secularism,' from the Indian Constitution, their original intent has been exposed, he stated. 'If BJP had won in 2024 with an absolute majority, their first work would have been to replace the Constitution. As it is the only binding force which respects and treats every citizen equally, the BJP government did not want secularism to be followed,' he observed. Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan, addressing the gathering, charged AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy with a delayed reaction to the humiliation of leaders like C.N. Annadurai and Periyar. 'Annadurai and Periyar could not be just treated as political leaders as they have shaped the political landscape of the State and have driven the people towards progressive thinking,' he added. He demanded action against Hindu Munnani for passing a resolution against a religious structure which has been in the faith of people for thousands of years.
