Latest news with #RSS
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
No need for socialism in India, secularism not core of our culture: Union minister Shivraj Chouhan
Chouhan's remarks assume significance as the RSS on Thursday called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the preamble of the Constitution
Scroll.in
an hour 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.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Opposition livid with Hosabale remark on Preamble
NEW DELHI: Several Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, denounced on Friday RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Constitution's Preamble, terming it a 'deliberate assault' on the soul of the Constitution. Lashing out at the BJP and RSS, Rahul said the RSS preference for the 'Manusmriti' over the Constitution has been exposed once again. The response came after the RSS leader proposed reviewing the two words on Thursday, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. 'The RSS and BJP do not want the Constitution, they want 'Manusmriti'. They aim to strip the marginalised and poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda,' Rahul asserted, adding, 'The RSS should stop dreaming this dream – we will never let it succeed. Every patriotic Indian will defend the Constitution until their last breath.'
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
RSS mask comes off; it wants ‘Manusmriti': Rahul
Demanding an apology from the Congress for imposing the Emergency, he said, 'Those who did such things are today moving around with the Constitution's copy. They have still not apologised. Your ancestors did it. You must apologise for this to the country,' he said in his remarks aimed at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Recalling the days of the Emergency, the RSS leader said while thousands of people were put in jail and tortured during that period, freedom of the judiciary and media was also curtailed. 'The days of the Emergency also witnessed large-scale forced sterilisation,' Hosabale added. Speaking to a news agency on Friday, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC backed the RSS leader's remarks, stating: 'He is absolutely right. The words 'socialist' and 'secular' were not part of the original Preamble of the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar. These were added during the Emergency in 1975, when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi introduced the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. This raises a question—why highlight only these two terms when India is already a sovereign, democratic republic?' She added that the Congress should apologise for the Emergency era amendments, saying: 'Shiv Sena demands that the Congress party apologise publicly for the Emergency. These terms were not in the original draft, and they should be removed.' On the other hand, Congress leader Tariq Anwar condemned Hosabale's remarks, saying: 'There's a clear scent of communalism in his statement. India is secular by nature and by history. The Constitution guarantees the right to equality, the right to vote, and the right to practice one's religion. As for socialism, it aims to reduce inequality. We are striving to create a just society, and the term 'socialism' symbolises that effort.' RJD leader Shakti Singh Yadav also slammed the RSS, accusing it of repeatedly attempting to undermine the Constitution's foundational principles. 'The RSS has always wanted to change the Constitution. The BJP is merely the political face of the RSS, and after coming to power, they are trying to implement the RSS's ideology. Narendra Modi is not just the Prime Minister of India; he represents the RSS's mission. Their agenda to remove socialism and secularism will not be accepted by the people.'
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
‘Assault on soul of Constitution': Oppn slams RSS' view on Preamble
New Delhi: Several Opposition parties on Friday denounced RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble, terming it a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution. The attack came a day after the RSS proposed reviewing the two words, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. While the Congress saw it as a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution and claimed the RSS-BJP had never accepted Ambedkar's Constitution, the CPI(M) said the demand exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting it. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the mask of the RSS has come off again as they want 'Manusmriti'. CPI(M) leader and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Hosabale's call is a "brazen attempt to dismantle the core ideals of our Republic". "Invoking the Emergency to discredit these principles is a deceitful move, especially when the RSS colluded with the Indira Gandhi government during that time for its own survival. To use that period now to undermine the Constitution reflects sheer hypocrisy and political opportunism. "Secularism and socialism are not additions; they define India. Every citizen who believes in democracy must raise their voice against this communal agenda," Vijayan said on X. The Left parties and RJD alleged that Hosabale's proposal was part of a conspiracy to change the Constitution. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the BJP/RSS attacked Ambedkar, Nehru, and others involved in the framing of the Constitution from November 30, 1949, onwards. "The RSS and the BJP have repeatedly given the call for a new Constitution. "This was 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 continue to be made by the RSS ecosystem," Ramesh said. The Chief Justice of India himself delivered a judgment on November 25, 2024, on the issue now being raised by a leading RSS functionary, he said. "Would it be asking too much to request him to take the trouble to read it?" Ramesh said. He also shared on X a copy of the judgement.
