28-06-2025
‘Sacrilege to spirit of Sanatan': V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar questions addition of ‘socialist', ‘secular' to Preamble
Terming it a travesty of justice, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said changing the Preamble to the Constitution by adding the words 'socialist', 'secular' and 'integrity' during the Emergency was 'sacrilege to spirit of Sanatan'.
Speaking at an event in Delhi, Dhankhar said the Preamble was the soul of any Constitution, and apart from India, no other country had changed it.
'Preamble is not changeable. Preamble is not alterable. Preamble is the basis on which the Constitution has grown. Preamble is the seed of the Constitution. It is soul of the Constitution but this Preamble for Bharat was changed by 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, adding words socialist, secular and integrity,' he said.
We are changing the soul of the Constitution by this flash of words, added during the period of Emergency — the darkest period for the Constitution of the country.
These words have been added as नासूर. These words will create upheaval. Addition of these words in the Preamble…
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) June 28, 2025
His comments come two days after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabele said there should be a discussion on whether the words 'socialist' and 'secular' should remain in the Preamble. A day later, Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jitendra Singh had thrown their weight behind the idea even as Congress leaders and other Opposition parties criticised the remark.
Vice-President Dhankhar was speaking at an event at his official residence where he was presented the first copy of the book, Ambedkar's Messages, compiled by author and former Karnataka MLC D S Veeraiah.
'We must reflect. Dr [B R] Ambedkar did painstaking work. He would have surely focused on it. The founding fathers thought it befittingly wise to give us that Preamble…what a travesty of justice. First, we change something which is not changeable, alterable – something that emanates from 'We the People' – and then, you change it during Emergency. When 'We the People' were bleeding in heart, in soul, they were in darkness,' he said.
Calling the Emergency imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 as the 'darkest period for the Constitution of the country', Dhankhar said, '…if you deeply reflect, we are giving wings to existential challenges. These words have been added as nasoor [festering wound]. These words will create upheaval. Addition of these words in the Preamble during the Emergency signal betrayal of the mindset of the framers of the Constitution. It is nothing but belittling the civilisational wealth and knowledge of this country for thousands of years. It is sacrilege to the spirit of Sanatan.'
