'The words secular and socialist were not in Ambedkar's constitution', RSS general secretary said to Congress- apologize, your ancestors did not...

RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said that those who did such things are roaming around with a copy of the Constitution today. They have not yet apologized. They should apologize.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday (June 26, 2025) called for a review of the words socialist and secular in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying that these were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar.

Addressing a programme organised on the Emergency, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, "These words were never there in the preamble of the Constitution drafted by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. These words were added during the Emergency when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament was not functioning, and the judiciary was paralysed."

 

 

Dattatreya Hosabale said that the issue was discussed later but no attempt was made to remove them from the preamble. Hosabale said, 'So it should be considered whether they should remain in the preamble or not.' Hosabale said, 'The preamble is eternal. Are the ideas of socialism eternal as an ideology for India?'

 

The senior RSS functionary suggested considering the removal of both the words at a time when he targeted the Congress for the excesses during the Emergency and demanded an apology from the party.

Recalling the days of the Emergency declared on June 25, 1975, Dattatreya Hosabale said that during that period thousands of people were jailed and tortured, while the freedom of the judiciary and the media was also curbed.

 

The RSS leader said that forced sterilisations were also carried out on a large scale during the days of emergency. He said, 'Those who did such things are roaming around with copies of the Constitution today. They have not yet apologised... they should apologise.' Attacking the Congress, Hosabale said, 'Your ancestors did this... you should apologise to the country for this.'

 

Addressing the event, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari criticised the Congress for imposing Emergency 50 years ago under the Indira Gandhi-led government and said that the atrocities committed during the 21-month Emergency under the previous Congress government can never be forgotten.

 

He said, 'To save her chair and suppress the voice of the people, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced the imposition of emergency on 25 June 1975 and crushed the spirit of the Constitution.' Nitin Gadkari said that during the emergency, many amendments were made in the Constitution and the Constitution was ripped to pieces.

He alleged, 'Congress leaders ran a campaign against us (alleging) that we will change the Constitution. We have never talked about changing the Constitution nor do we have any desire to do so. If anyone committed the biggest sin of violating the Constitution, it was the Congress led by Indira Gandhi.'