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India Gazette
27-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Insult to Constitution, attack on SC": KC Venugopal slams RSS' Hosabale over preamble remarks
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 27 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and MP KC Venugopal lashed out at the RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's statement and claimed that the leader's remarks were an insult to the Constitution, a rejection of its values, and a direct attack on the Supreme Court. This came after RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale questioned the legitimacy of including the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution on Thursday. In a post on X, Venugopal said, 'The RSS' single-minded focus to destroy the Constitution is never hidden for too long. Beyond the BJP's lip service to the Constitution, their hidden agenda has always been to distort and destroy our Constitution - because it stands against the core fascist beliefs of the RSS-BJP.' 'A senior RSS member surely knows that the Supreme Court declared socialism and secularism to be part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Yet, to take this stand is a clear insult to the Constitution, a rejection of its values, and a direct attack on the Supreme Court of India as well,' he posted on X. Speaking to mediapersons over Hosabale's statement, KC Venugopal said, 'Undeclared censorship has been there in this country now. Over the past 11 years, India has experienced a kind of undeclared emergency. Where are our constitutional bodies? What are the activities of the Election Commission itself? Every constitutional body that has been attacked by the BJP and PM Modi.' 'The constitutional values have been under attack. That is why we are undertaking the 'Samvidhan Bachao Yatra,' which has covered around 689 places at the district level. We are now moving to the assembly constituency level. That is why the BJP is on the back foot. To cover up their failures, they are trying to do all these dramas,' he added. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also slammed RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale. He said that the RSS has never accepted the Constitution, attacking its framers from the beginning and criticised it for not being 'inspired by Manusmriti.' Ramesh also highlighted a 2024 Supreme Court judgement regarding challenging the 1976 Constitutional Amendment, which inserted the words. The SC, however, said that the arguments in the case had 'obvious' flaws and weaknesses. 'The Chief Justice of India himself delivered a judgment on November 25, 2024, on the issue now being raised by a leading RSS functionary. Would it be asking too much to request him to take the trouble to read it?' the Congress leader said. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Friday also launched a sharp attack on RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, alleging that his recent remarks reflected a 'hidden agenda' to change the Constitution of India. Tiwari claimed the people had rejected this plan during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Dattatreya Hosabale had earlier stated that the Emergency imposed in the country on June 25, 1975, was the 'biggest blow to Indian democracy.' Hosabale was addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency held at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture), Ambedkar International Centre. He remarked that during the Emergency, terms like 'Socialism' and 'Secularism' were forcibly inserted into the Constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered today. He emphasised that the Emergency wasn't just a misuse of power, but an attempt to crush civil liberties. Millions were imprisoned and freedom of the press was suppressed. He said that those who imposed the Emergency and trampled the Constitution and democracy have never apologised. If they cannot apologise personally, they should do so on behalf of their ancestors. (ANI)
News18
27-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
Congress Vs BJP Over RSS Leader's Call To Remove 'Socialist', 'Secular' From Preamble
Last Updated: The RSS leader's strong call to reconsider the inclusion of the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble sparked sharp reactions from the Congress leaders A massive political storm erupted after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for the removal of the words 'socialist" and 'secular" from the Preamble of the Constitution. Hosabele's strong call to reconsider the inclusion of the words 'socialist" and 'secular"—added to the Preamble by the Congress government during the Emergency—sparked sharp reactions from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and other opposition leaders. The Congress called the RSS leader's remarks a 'long-standing agenda" to reshape the country's democracy, while the BJP argued that words like socialist and secular were never part of the original Constitution document, written by the committee under Dr BR Ambedkar. 'The RSS has always opposed the core values of our constitution – secularism and socialism. Now, their leaders are once again saying these words should be removed from the Preamble. This is not a casual remark – it is part of a long-standing agenda to reshape India's democracy in their ideological image," the Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote on X. The RSS has always opposed the core values of our Constitution — secularism and socialism. Now, their leaders are once again saying these words should be removed from the Preamble. This is not a casual remark — it is part of a long-standing agenda to reshape India's democracy in… — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 27, 2025 The RSS leader made the remarks on Thursday while lashing out at the Congress for imposing the Emergency 50 years ago. 'Where are our constitutional bodies? What are the activities of the Election Commission itself? Every constitutional body that has been attacked by the BJP and PM Modi. The constitutional values have been under attack. That is why we are undertaking the 'Samvidhan Bachao Yatra,' which has covered around 689 places at the district level," he said. Echoing the same voice, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also criticised the RSS leader's remark, calling it a 'highly alarming indication for the country's impoverished population." 'Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, many prominent leaders of the BJP claimed that the party will get 350 seats and they will change the constitution. Due to that, the BJP got only 240 seats. Now, the RSS has started the same debate. There should be no problem with the words secularism and socialism," AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said. 'In the 11 years of the BJP government, all the country's resources have been handed over to capitalists… They are selling everything, privatising it. That is why they have a problem with the word socialism. Because they are worshippers of capitalism… This is a highly alarming indication for the country's impoverished population. Some capitalists get some capital, and they are trying to run the whole country," he added. BJP Defends Remark Defending the RSS leader's remark, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that there is 'no doubt" the words 'secular" and 'socialist" were added to the Preamble through the 45th Amendment. He noted that Dr BR Ambedkar had crafted one of the world's finest constitutions and questioned the addition of these terms if they were not part of Ambedkar's original vision. 'Any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original constitution document, which Dr. Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote… It's a matter of preserving democratic and constitutional values, and those violating the constitution are actually the biggest violators," Singh added. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also defended the Hosabale remarks, saying: 'BR Ambedkar opposed the inclusion of such terms ('socialist and secular')… Congress neither granted him Bharat Ratna, nor did they properly honor him during his lifetime, and they even fielded candidates against him… They always insulted him." The Emergency was imposed on June 25, 1975, by the Congress government under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Spanning 21 months until March 21, 1977, the period was marked by the suspension of civil rights, a severe clampdown on Opposition leaders, and widespread curbs on press freedom. About the Author Ronit Singh Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : BJP congress constitution Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 27, 2025, 18:11 IST
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Knows neither about democratic culture nor about country's culture": BJP's Manoj Tiwari hits back at Kharge over emergency remarks
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari on Thursday slammed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his criticism of the BJP's observance of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas,' saying that the Congress has no moral authority to speak on democracy. Reacting to Kharge's remarks, Tiwari told reporters, 'Yesterday was June 25. How can a Congress that can murder the Constitution believe in democracy? Mallikarjun Kharge is the President of Congress, but listening to his statements, it seems he knows neither about democratic culture nor about the country's culture...' On Wednesday, Kharge accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to divert public attention from issues such as unemployment, inflation, and demonetisation. 'We are facing an undeclared emergency in the country today... The BJP got rattled by our 'Samvidhan Bachao Yatra' and started talking about 50 years of Emergency. Those who could not do much during their tenure, also could not give any answers on issues of unemployment, inflation and demonetisation, are doing this (marking 50 years of imposition of Emergency as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas) to hide their failures and repeated lies,' Kharge said at a press conference. He criticised the Centre for issuing a circular instructing all states to observe June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas officially.' 'The PM on behalf of the government has taken out a circular directing all states to mark the 50 years of Emergency as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas,' Kharge said. He also questioned the BJP's commitment to the Constitution, accusing the party of having had no role in India's independence movement or the drafting of the Constitution. 'I only want to say that those who are talking about saving the Constitution now are only trying to raise the issue that had ended in the past. Those who did not have any role in the Indian independence movement and the making of the Constitution are talking about it now. They had even burnt images of Gandhi ji, Ambedkar ji and others,' he further alleged. (ANI)
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Undeclared Emergency now': Congress hits back, says BJP staging ‘drama' to hide governance failures
Under attack from the BJP over the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency by the then Indira Gandhi-led government, the Congress on Wednesday launched a counter-attack, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge saying that an 'undeclared Emergency' prevailed in the country now. He also accused the BJP of staging a 'drama' by marking the day as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to hide its governance failures. Addressing reporters at the AICC headquarters, Kharge said that those who made no contributions to the freedom movement and in framing the Constitution, spoke against the document, burned its copies, and torched the effigies and photographs of B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi are now raking up the Emergency and talking of saving the Constitution. 'Emergency has been imposed by you now. This is undeclared Emergency,' Kharge said, adding, 'That Emergency has passed and an amendment in the Constitution has also been done. When that amendment was proposed, Indira Gandhi herself had supported Morarji Desai.' Kharge also called the BJP's programmes on the Emergency a 'drama' designed to cover up the failure of the government on inflation and unemployment. The government, he said, was unable to reply to questions related to corruption, economic distress, unemployment, demonetisation and black money. Kharge added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing 'drama' to snuff out the enthusiasm among people because of Rahul Gandhi's nationwide outreach programme, 'Samvidhan Bachao Yatra'. 'The Constitution is in a crisis today because of you…not because of anybody else. You have dragged the Constitution into a crisis. You are destroying the country,' Kharge added. 'Where is the freedom of expression and freedom of movement? You do not tolerate it when somebody…makes a suggestion in the national interest. Students are framed as traitors, journalists are put in jail. Mistakes pointed out by channels (news) and magazines in their write-ups are not accepted. Only speeches do not fill the stomach. The country needs ration too,' Kharge said. He also hit out at the Election Commission, calling it a 'kathputli (puppet)'. 'You have taken hold of that puppet and are winning elections. You are not winning elections, it is your machine that is winning,' Kharge said. 'You (EC) do what Modi says…thank you very much for what you are doing for Modi,' Kharge said, questioning why elections were not being held using ballot paper. 'Why the entire world is using ballots? Why don't you? We demand that elections should be conducted using ballot paper. We will keep raising this demand,' Kharge said. Earlier, the Congress had alleged that over the past 11 years, Indian democracy has been under a 'systematic and dangerous' five-fold assault that can be best described as an 'Undeclared Emergency@11' and that the government was weakening Parliament and eroding the autonomy of constitutional bodies. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, alleged that government critics have been routinely vilified, hate and bigotry are deliberately spread by the ruling establishment, protesting farmers were labelled 'Khalistanis', and advocates of caste census were dismissed as 'urban Naxals'. 'The killers of Mahatma Gandhi are glorified. Minorities live in fear for their lives and property. Dalits and other marginalised groups have been disproportionately targeted, and ministers making hate speeches have been rewarded with promotions,' he added. Besides 'unbridled hate speech and crackdown on civil liberties', Ramesh also cited alleged 'attacks on the Constitution, tax terrorism and intimidation of businesses and institutions, control over the media and misuse of investigative agencies', to say that an 'undeclared Emergency' was in place. Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More
Hans India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
'Rattled' BJP stages drama to hide its governance failures, alleges Kharge
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing them of misusing the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to divert attention from their failures and undermine the Indian Constitution. Kharge's remarks came as the BJP observed 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to mark the fifty years of imposition of the Emergency in 1975. Responding to the Centre's push to commemorate the event across states, Kharge alleged, 'PM Modi is repeatedly invoking a period that the country has moved past. He is making an issue out of something that people have already forgotten.' Addressing a press conference at Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Kharge called this a politically motivated move, adding that the BJP was rattled by the Congress's ongoing 'Samvidhan Bachao Yatra', started by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. 'The Prime Minister's sudden interest in the Constitution is only to counter our year-long campaign to protect it. Those who never contributed to the freedom struggle or constitution-making are now claiming to defend it", he said. Taking a dig at the BJP's ideological roots, Kharge alleged that members associated with the RSS had once burned photos of Ambedkar, Nehru, and Gandhi at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan and demanded elements of Manusmriti be included in the Constitution. Criticising the PM Modi government's governance, Kharge said, 'This is an undeclared emergency. There's rising inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crony capitalism. But the government distracts from these issues with such drama.' He further accused the BJP of favouring select industrialists, ignoring other players, and deepening economic inequalities. 'You've handed over the country's assets to a few. The poor are getting poorer, and the rich richer,' he said. Kharge also slammed PM Modi for ignoring key national issues. Referring to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Kharge said the Opposition demanded a special Parliament session and an all-party meeting, but the PM chose to campaign in Bihar instead. He also questioned PM Modi's silence on Manipur, where violence continues unabated. 'Why is the PM touring foreign nations but not visiting Manipur?' Raising concerns about media freedom and judicial independence, Kharge claimed that dissenters are labelled anti-national and journalists are being jailed. 'PM Modi doesn't answer questions or hold press conferences. Only hand-picked journalists get to ask scripted questions", he said. He also accused the Election Commission of bias and questioned the sudden rise in voter numbers in Maharashtra. 'I've fought 13 elections. I've never seen such a sudden spike in the voter list,' he said. "Between the assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, there was a spike of 75,00000 new voters. I've never seen this in my entire life. How can this happen? The Election Commission has become a puppet of the BJP. It is not that the BJP is winning the elections, rather, it is the machines that they've controlled that are making them victorious", Kharge said. Calling the situation an assault on federalism, Kharge said BJP-ruled states receive favourable treatment while Opposition-ruled states are neglected. 'Governors are now used as political tools. The Supreme Court itself had to intervene against governors sitting on bills,' he noted.
