RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has called for a review of the inclusion of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution while hitting out at the Congress for imposing the Emergency five decades ago.
Addressing an event to mark 50 years of Emergency on Thursday, Hosabale demanded that those responsible for imposing the Emergency apologise to the country. Without naming the Congress directly, he said, "Those who did this are moving around with the Constitution in their hands. They have not apologised to the country for that. They must apologise. If your ancestors did it, apologise on their behalf." He was addressing a gathering at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre.
What Hosabale said about the Preamble
Hosabale also raised questions about the 42nd Constitutional Amendment of 1976, during which the words "socialist" and "secular" were added to the Preamble. He noted that these words were not part of the original Preamble drafted under BR Ambedkar's leadership. "There should be a discussion on whether they should remain," he said, adding that no serious effort had been made since then to revisit the issue.
The remarks come in the wake of the Lok Sabha elections, during which INDIA bloc leaders, particularly Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, frequently brandished copies of the Constitution at rallies, alleging that the Modi-led government was attempting to alter it.
Recalling the Emergency years
Hosabale emphasised that the Emergency period should not be remembered only by those who lived through it but should also serve as a lesson for future generations. "The dates June 25 and June 26 should not just be old boys' clubs of discussions. These should be occasions to inform the youth so that the Emergency mindset never returns," he said.
He urged the RSS-affiliated student organisation, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), to organise study circles in universities to raise awareness about the Emergency and its consequences. He highlighted that during the 21-month period, thousands were jailed and tortured, and the independence of the judiciary and media was severely restricted.
Recalling events from June 26, 1975, Hosabale shared a personal memory: "I saw Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani being arrested just outside an MLA guest house in Bengaluru. They were there for a Parliamentary Committee meeting."
Congress hits out at RSS, BJP over remarks
Taking aim at the ruling BJP and the RSS, Congress said their ideology is against the Indian Constitution.
"RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has openly called for the removal of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble. This is not just a suggestion—it is a deliberate assault on the soul of our Constitution," it said in a post on X.
