‘Secular and Socialist’ removed from new copies of Constitution: Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

NewsBharati    20-Sep-2023 10:43:50 AM
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New Delhi, Sept 20: Congress leader and Lok Sabha leader of Opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has claimed that the new copies of the Constitution that were distributed to the MPs in the new Parliament building have no presence of words like "socialist and secular", mentioned in India's preamble.
 
secular socialist removed from constitution 
“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", Chowdhury told news agency ANI.
 
 
Chowdhury pointed out that even though the words were incorporated to the Preamble after an amendment in 1976, “if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn’t have those words, it is a matter of concern”.
 
“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…” he added.
 
Passed in 1976, the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, changed the description of India in the Preamble from the words “sovereign democratic republic” to “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”. This 20 pages long detailed document gave unprecedented powers to the Parliament. Almost all parts of the Constitution, including the preamble, was changed with this amendment. It also changed “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the nation”.