Unchanging Preambles: A Debate on India's Constitutional Amendments

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar criticized changes made to India's Constitution Preamble during the 1976 Emergency. Calling additions like 'socialist' and 'secular' a 'festering wound', he argues they distort the framers' original vision. The RSS also supports revisiting these terms, sparking political controversy across parties.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday lambasted the alteration of India's Constitution Preamble during the 1976 Emergency, declaring it a violation of the founding principles and the wisdom of its original framers.

Speaking at a book launch, Dhankhar described the inclusion of terms such as 'socialist' and 'secular' as a 'nasoor,' or festering wound, claiming they risk causing societal upheaval by deviating from historical and cultural roots.

His comments coincide with the RSS's call for reevaluating these amendments, a move that has triggered a political storm, with opposition parties condemning it as an effort to reconstruct constitutional integrity.