Deletion of words 'secular', 'socialist' from copies of Constitution reflects BJP's biased mindset: NCP

NCP leader Clyde Crasto. File Pic

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday charged that the alleged deletion of words "socialist" and "secular" from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution presented to MPs on the opening day of the new Parliament building showed the "biased mindset" of the ruling BJP, reported news agency PTI.

Earlier in the day, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged that the words "secular" and "socialist" were missing from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution given to lawmakers. However, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the copies carried the original version of the Preamble of the Constitution and that these words were added later to it after constitutional amendments.

In a statement, Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party's spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, "The BJP government says that this printed text was the original Preamble. If BJP does not want to respect the constitutional amendment of the Preamble and wants to follow the original, then why have they moved out from the original 'Temple of Democracy', the old Parliament building? Why did they not stay in the original one?," reported PTI.

Removing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' is truly a display of BJPs biased mindset, he alleged.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should stop fooling the people of India with their absurd replies because people know what they are trying to really achieve," Crasto said.

Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday alleged a deliberate attempt to "change" the Constitution after claiming that new copies of the Constitution that were handed to the politicians on the opening day of the new Parliament building don't have the words 'socialist secular', reported ANI.

"When I was reading it, I couldn't find these two words. I added them on my own. I also showed it to Rahul Gandhi. It was amended in 1976, so why shouldn't we get it today? Why do we make amendments? This shows the deliberate attempt to change our Constitution," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was quoted as saying by ANI.

He raised concerns and alleged "suspicious intention" saying that "it has been done cleverly".

"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'. We know that the words were added after an amendment in 1976 but if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn't have those words, it is a matter of concern," he said.

He further alleged, "Their intention is suspicious. It has been done cleverly. It is a matter of concern for me. I tried to raise this issue but I did not get an opportunity to raise this issue."

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)