The most appropriate time to include the word secularism in the Preamble of the Constitution was during the partition of India, a period marred by communal violence and bloodshed, but it is significant that leaders such as Dr BR Ambedkar did not incorporate it then, said J Nandakumar, Pragya Pravah National Coordinator and RSS National Executive Member. Speaking to Janam TV, he clarified that the remarks made by RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale Ji were being misrepresented.
Secularism was Rejected by Ambedkar, Inserted During Emergency
Nandakumar Ji stated “The word secularism ought to have been included in the Preamble in 1947-48, the period that witnessed the country’s partition and the deep wounds inflicted during its aftermath. At that time, eminent figures like Dr Ambedkar, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, and C. Rajagopalachari were fully aware that there was no necessity to include the word secularism in the Preamble,” He said, “This matter was raised and debated in Parliament on three occasions. Only after careful deliberation was it decided not to include it. But in 1976, there was no such demand. The then Law Minister introduced it as a bill in Parliament.”
He noted that the Preamble is mentioned in the first part of the Constitution. During the making process, K.T. Shah, a member of the Constitution assembly, had demanded three times including, in November and December 1948, for the inclusion of the terms secularism and socialism in the Preamble. Initially, Shah had proposed the terms secularism and federal socialism. However, Dr Ambedkar, who chaired the drafting Committee, rejected these proposals.
Hosabale Ji Never Called for Removal, His Words are being Twisted
Nandakumar Ji further asserted that the words of RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale Ji were being twisted and falsely portrayed. “The Constitution, adopted in 1950 under the leadership of Dr Ambedkar, did not include the words secularism and socialism. These two words were added only in 1976, during a time when democracy and the legal framework, including the Constitution, were being trampled under the leadership of Indira Gandhi,” Nandakumar Ji said. “What Dattatreya Hosabale Ji actually said was that we should examine how these terms entered the Constitution. Nowhere in his speech did he suggest that secularism and socialism should be removed. That was never his intention.”
Nandakumar Ji reiterated that Hosabale Ji had emphasised the need for a serious discussion on the insertion of these terms, especially in the context of current debates about the democratic system and the evolving needs of a new era. “But what is being spread now is the false claim that he called for the removal of secularism and socialism from the Constitution,” Nandakumar Ji said.
Why Fear Discussion? Youth Must Discuss Inclusion of Secularism in 1976 After 26 Years
Nandakumar Ji also posed a question: “Why are we afraid of discussion?” Highlighting the importance of historical understanding, he urged today’s students and younger generations to engage with the facts surrounding the inclusion of these terms. “It is important to understand how and why these two words came into the Constitution 26 years after its original adoption in 1950,” he said. Nandakumar Ji concluded by appealing to the current generation, who he believes are naturally capable of critical thinking, to reflect and deliberate on the issue seriously.
