Latest news with #non-BJP
Hans India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Jitendra Singh backs RSS call
New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday defended Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's suggestion to reconsider the inclusion of the term "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Indian constitution, saying that any "right-thinking person" would support such a demand as these terms were not part of the original Constitution. "Any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original constitution, which Dr Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote. This is not the question of BJP vs is a matter of preserving democratic and constitutional values, and those violating the constitution are actually the biggest violators," Singh told reporters. He pointed out that the words "Secular" and "Socialist" were added later, through the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution during the emergency, and not by the original drafters.
India Gazette
15 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
RSS-BJP don't want Constitution, but Manusmriti: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Friday came down heavily on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying that it doesn't want the Constitution but the Manusmriti. Intensifying his attack, Gandhi said that RSS intended to violate the rights of the marginalised and the poor while enslaving them. 'The mask of RSS has come off again,' he added. '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. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda,' the Congress leader posed on X. 'The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice,' he added. Gandhi asserted that Congress would resist the dreams of RSS to 'snatch' the constitution from the marginalised and the poor. 'RSS should stop dreaming this dream - we will never let them succeed. Every patriotic Indian will defend the Constitution until their last breath,' he said. His remarks come after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale suggested reconsidering the inclusion of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. Hosabale was addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the emergency, held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture) and the Ambedkar International Centre. Speaking at the event, 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. He remarked that during the emergency, terms like 'socialist' and 'secular' were forcibly inserted into the Constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that Hosabale's suggestion was not a 'casual remark' but a 'long-standing agenda' to reshape the country's democracy. However, Union Minister Jitendra Singh defended Hosabale, stating that any 'right-thinking person' would endorse such a demand, as these terms were not part of the original Constitution. 'Any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original constitution, which Dr Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote. This is not the question of BJP vs is a matter of preserving democratic and constitutional values, and those violating the constitution are actually the biggest violators,' Singh told reporters here. He pointed out that 'secular and socialist' were added after the 42nd amendment to the constitution, which means that it was not Dr Ambedkar who thought of including these terms. (ANI)
India Gazette
19 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"New forms of dictatorship under BJP-RSS rule must be fought" Brinda Karat
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Brinda Karat said that the emergency imposed in 1975 was the 'first taste of dictatorship' for India while highlighting the need to fight against 'new forms of dictatorship under BJP-RSS rule'. However, she said that the new forms of dictatorship and neo-fascism that remain under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) must be fought with the same rigour as the emergency. Karart claimed that there was an 'attack on the constitution' and that efforts were being made to undermine it by subverting institutions and democratic rights and targeting certain communities. 'It's very important that copies of the constitution should be held and displayed all over India because the emergency was the first taste of condemned it and fought against it. But today, the kind of attack on the constitution is evident, with efforts to undermine it at every stage, including subverting institutions, democratic rights within parliament, and the targeting of certain communities. Just as we fought the emergency, today the new forms of dictatorship and neo-fascism, which are so clearly visible under the BJP-RSS rule, must be fought,' Karat told ANI. Her remarks come amid the ongoing controversy over recent remarks made by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, where he suggested reconsidering whether the terms 'secular and socialist' mentioned in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution should remain. Hosabale was addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the emergency, held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture) and the Ambedkar International Centre. Speaking at the event, 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. He remarked that during the emergency, terms like 'socialist' and 'secular' were forcibly inserted into the constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that Hosabale's suggestion was not a 'casual remark' but a 'long-standing agenda' to reshape the country's democracy. However, Union Minister Jitendra Singh defended Hosabale, stating that any 'right-thinking person' would endorse such a demand, as these terms were not part of the original constitution. 'Any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original constitution, which Dr Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote. This is not the question of BJP vs is a matter of preserving democratic and constitutional values, and those violating the constitution are actually the biggest violators,' Singh told reporters here. He pointed out that 'secular and socialist' were added after the 42nd amendment to the constitution, which means that it was not Dr Ambedkar who thought of including these terms. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘No two opinions': Jitendra Singh backs RSS call for removal of ‘secular', ‘socialist' from Constitution's Preamble
Jun 27, 2025 06:59 PM IST Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday backed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's comments regarding the insertion of the words 'secular' and 'socialist' into the Constitution's Preamble, saying that there is no room for differing views on the matter. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Sat Sharma and others during the release of a book at the party office, in Jammu, Friday, June 27, 2025. (PTI) 'I don't think there are two opinions on this. Dattatreya ji has rightly pointed out that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' were added through the 42nd Amendment, and were not part of Dr B.R. Ambedkar's original vision,' Singh told reporters in Jammu. 'Dr Ambedkar produced one of the best Constitutions in the world. If these words were not part of his thinking, then one must ask—what kind of thinking led to their later inclusion?' he added. When asked about Dattatreya Hosabale's remarks advocating the removal of the terms from the Preamble, Dr Singh responded by saying, 'I think any right-thinking citizen will endorse it, because everybody knows this was not the part of the original Constitution, which was written by Dr Ambedkar and rest of the committee… It's not BJP versus non-BJP, it is about preserving democratic values, preserving the constitutional values,' the minister said. Taking a veiled dig at the Congress leaders, the minister also said, "Those who are flaunting the Constitution book are actually the biggest violators of the Constitution.'
The Print
a day ago
- Politics
- The Print
Any right-thinking citizen will endorse call to review ‘socialist', ‘secular' in Preamble: Minister
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 B R Ambedkar. Addressing an event organised at New Delhi on 50 years of the Emergency, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, 'The preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words. During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added.' Talking to reporters, Singh said, 'I think any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that it was not part of the original Constitution written by Dr Ambedkar and the team.' Singh was replying to a question on whether the BJP endorses the removal of the words 'secular' and 'socialist' from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. Jammu, Jun 27 (PTI) In an indirect support to the RSS' call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. 'It is not a question of the BJP versus the non-BJP. It is a question of preserving democratic and constitutional values,' Singh said, adding that those who are raising the Constitution book are the biggest violators of it. Replying to another question on whether the BJP is going to bring a bill in Parliament regarding this, he said, 'I did not say that. I am not accredited to say that.' He further said just yesterday, Dattatreya ji raised a demand for the removal of these words. 'These were not part of Dr Ambedkar's original Constitution. These words are not the legacy of Dr Ambedkar. 'Ambedkar gave us the best Constitution in the world. If these terms were not his idea, then whose ideology was it that inserted them?' Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the term of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was extended under these clauses from five to six years during the Emergency. 'This provision was misused in Jammu and Kashmir as well. Sheikh Abdullah extended the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to six years. 'When Morarji Desai became prime minister after three years, he reversed this provision at the national level. However, using Article 370, this change was never implemented in Jammu and Kashmir,' he said. The Union minister further said while all other assemblies in the country reverted to a five-year term, the J-K Assembly continued with a six-year term until August 5, 2019, when abrogation took place. 'The Jammu and Kashmir government not only misused the Emergency provisions, they misused them twice by invoking Article 370,' he said. Hosabale said discussions were held on this issue later, but no effort was made to remove them from the Preamble. So whether they should remain in the Preamble should be considered, he added. The suggestion from the RSS' second senior-most functionary to consider removing the two terms came as he hit out at the Congress for its Emergency-era excesses and demanded an apology from the party. Lambasting the Congress for showcasing itself as the champion of Independence, he said, 'I can say this with full confidence that no matter how many times the Congress beats the drum about the Constitution or how loudly it calls itself the party of freedom fighters, the truth is that the Congress never demanded independence. I am saying this with all the confidence at my command.' He further said until 1930, there was no document or record in which the Congress had demanded that India be given independence or had raised the slogan of complete independence. 'Even post-1930, the Congress was only demanding home state, home rule or dominion status. When Bhagat Singh was demanding complete independence, the Congress was still only talking about home rule. It was only in 1931, at the Lahore session of the Congress, after the hanging of Bhagat Singh, that the first resolution was passed demanding complete independence,' he said. It was also done in the wake of high emotions running among youth after the hanging of Bhagat Singh, he said. Singh said the resolution included the demand for independence, which means Congress only truly demanded freedom 17 years before it was achieved. 'So, if we go by that, Congress fought for India's independence only for 17 years,' he said. Lashing out at the Congress for the imposition of the Emergency, he said Indira Gandhi, in the darkness of night, woke up then president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed from sleep to impose the Emergency. 'A specific 38th constitutional provision was used at that time so that no one could approach the court.' He said subsequently, a series of amendments were passed, among which the most notorious were the 42nd and 43rd Amendments. 'It was under these amendments that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' were inserted into the Constitution,' he said, adding that just on Thursday, Hosabale raised a demand for the removal of these words. PTI AB KSS KSS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
