The leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, raised concerns over the alleged attack on the Constitution by saying that new copies that were handed to the politicians on the opening day of the new Parliament building don’t have the words ‘socialist and secular’.
“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 said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday.
He further added, “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 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.”
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”. Almost all parts of the Constitution, including the Preamble, were changed with this amendment. It also changed “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the nation”.
Earlier, while speaking in the Lok Sabha at the new Parliament complex on the second day of the five-day special session on Tuesday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that nobody should try to create an unnecessary rift between ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ as there is no difference between the two as per the Constitution of India.
“This Constitution is no less than the Gita, Quran, and Bible for us. Article 1 says, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States… It means that there is no difference between India and Bharat. It will be better if nobody tries to unnecessarily create a rift between the two,” he said.
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The controversy was triggered after the invitation for the G20 dinner was sent out in the name of the President of ‘Bharat’ and not India.