The preamble described the state as a sovereign democratic republic to which the terms Secular and Socialist were later introduced through the 42nd Amendment in the 1970s (Photo Credit: The Hindu)
The introduction of the Private Member's Bill was protested and Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh' reserved' his decision on it. Alphons has argued that the term "socialist" has "political connotations" and carries historical baggage.
New Delhi: BJP member in Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister, K J Alphons, on Friday sought to introduce a Private Member draft law – The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021- that seeks to replace the word "Socialist" with "Equitable", among other changes in the Preamble. Alphons has argued that the term "socialist" has "political connotations" and carries historical baggage that need not be acceptable to a large section of India.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh had initially allowed the introduction of the Private Member's bill but later reserved his decision. RJD MP Manoj Jha and MDMK's Vaiko registered strong protest and disapproved the introduction itself, saying the Preamble of the Constitution is the basic structure. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, also requested the chair to "reserve this and give a ruling at a later date".
Alphons, through the bill, also want the descriptions for equality and fraternity changed by enlarging its ambit and introducing "happiness, assuring a high gross domestic happiness" in the Preamble.
The bill seeks to change the words "Equality of status and of opportunity" to "Equality of status and of opportunity to be born, to be fed, to be educated, to get a job and to be treated with dignity."
It also said there should be "access to information technology" in the objectives of the Preamble.
RJD MP Manoj Jha argued that the bill needs the President's prior approval before it is introduced. "Preamble is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution… Please do not do this," Jha said. "Amendment to Preamble is an attack on the edifice of the Constitution," Jha argued. Mr Vaiko also said, "Sir, it is a very serious matter. You should not allow it."
The chair also disallowed Alphons to speak on the bill.
"At this juncture, you are not allowed to discuss the bill…..If anything is there, it is for the House to decide and not the chair or not me," the deputy chairman said.
After Minister's request and objections from opposition members, he said, "If this is the opinion of the House, then we will reserve it…and I will come back."
The Preamble to the Constitution of India presents the principles of the Constitution and indicates the sources of its authority. The Constituent Assembly adopted it on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950. As initially enacted, the Preamble described the state as a "sovereign democratic republic", to which the terms "Secular" and "Socialist" were later introduced through the 42nd Amendment in the 1970s.
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