Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal acknowledged in the Rajya Sabha Thursday that “certain groups” were advocating for the removal of the words “socialist” and “secular” from the Preamble to the Constitution, but said that the government did not have any current plan or intention to do so.
In a written reply to a question raised by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, the minister said: “The Indian government has not formally initiated any legal or constitutional process to remove the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ from the Preamble of the Constitution. While there may be discussions or debates in certain public or political circles, no formal decision or proposal has been announced by the government regarding amendments to these terms.”
The minister’s statement comes a month after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said at an event that a discussion was merited on the words “socialist” and “secular”, which were added to the Preamble during the Emergency.
SP MP Suman had sought Meghwal’s response on whether “office-bearers of some social organisations” were creating an “atmosphere” for the removal of the two words from the Preamble.
Making a distinction between the call by the RSS leader and the government’s position, Meghwal said: “Regarding the atmosphere created by office-bearers of some social organisations, it is possible that certain groups are expressing opinions or advocating for reconsideration of these words. Such activities can create a public discourse or atmosphere around the issue, but this does not necessarily reflect the official stance or actions of the government.”
The minister also cited a Supreme Court decision in November 2024 in Dr Balram Singh and others Vs Union of India, in which the court dismissed petitions challenging the 42nd Constitutional amendment. “The court clarified that ‘socialism’ in the Indian context signifies a welfare state and does not impede private sector growth, while ‘secularism’ is integral to the Constitution’s basic structure,” Meghwal said.
Asked about the government’s stand on the issue, the minister said: “The government’s official stand is that there is no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ from the Preamble of the Constitution. Any discussions regarding amendments to the Preamble would require thorough deliberation and broad consensus, but as of now, the government has not initiated any formal process to change these provisions.”
Though it was a starred question and Meghwal was present in the Upper House, it was not taken up as the proceedings were adjourned due to disruptions when Question Hour began.
On June 26, Hosabale, while speaking at the launch of a book on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975, called on the Congress to apologise for the Emergency and asserted that there should be a discussion on removing the words “socialist” and “secular” added to the Preamble through the 42nd amendment in 1976.
“No attempt was made to remove them (socialist and secular) later. So, there should be a discussion on whether they should remain. I say this in a building (Ambedkar International Centre) named after Babasaheb Ambedkar, whose Constitution did not have these words in the Preamble,” he said at the event.
