The Congress party has strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for distributing copies of the Constitution that omit the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ from the Preamble. Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, expressed his concern, stating, “The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn’t have the words ‘socialist secular’.”
He further emphasized that while these words were added through an amendment in 1976, their absence in the current copies raises suspicion about the BJP’s intentions. Chowdhury mentioned his attempts to raise this issue but noted that he did not have an opportunity to do so.
The original Preamble did not include the terms ‘secular’ and ‘socialist,’ and they were incorporated into it during the 42nd Amendment in December 1976. Chowdhury also read out the Preamble of the Constitution during the session in the new Parliament building, highlighting its significance.
He urged unity by referencing Article 1 of the Constitution, which states that India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states, emphasizing that there should be no unnecessary division between the two.
In a historic move, the Parliament shifted to a modern new complex, bidding farewell to the colonial-era building. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha convened for the first time in their new home during a five-day special session. Copies of the Constitution were distributed to Members of Parliament as part of this inaugural session.
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