“Changing Soul Of Constitution A ‘Sacrilege To Sanatana’: Vice President Slams Emergency-Era Preamble Amendments
The Vice President calls addition of 'Socialist' and 'Secular' Terms a Betrayal of Constitutional Ethos;
In a sharp critique of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday described the insertion of the words "socialist" and "secular" into the Preamble of the Indian Constitution during the Emergency as a “nasoor” (festering wound) and a “sacrilege to the spirit of Sanatana.”
Speaking at the launch of Ambedkar’s Messages, a book compiled by D.S. Veeraiah, the Vice President declared that altering the Preamble was an unconstitutional act that betrayed the original intent of India’s founding document.
“The Preamble is the soul, the seed of the Constitution. It is not changeable or alterable. Yet it was altered during the darkest period of Indian democracy,” Dhankhar said, referring to the Emergency of 1975-77.
“These words have been added as nasoor. They will create upheaval. This change is nothing short of a betrayal of the mindset of our constitutional framers," he said.
Dhankhar’s remarks come days after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale made a similar call to remove the terms, claiming they were “forcibly inserted” and not envisioned by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Calling the Emergency a time when “We the People” were robbed of their rights, Dhankhar questioned the legitimacy of constitutional changes made during such a period. “The people were in darkness; bleeding in heart and soul, when this amendment was pushed through,” he said.
“We changed the very soul of the Constitution when its guardians were jailed and the citizens silenced," he added.
Quoting the Supreme Court’s landmark Kesavananda Bharati ruling, Dhankhar emphasized the Preamble’s essential role in interpreting the Constitution. He cited Justice H.R. Khanna, who held that the Preamble reveals the source of constitutional authority, the people of India and should be read as a guiding force.
Drawing further from judicial opinions, the Vice President invoked Justices Hidayatullah, Hegde, Mukherjee, Shelat, and Grover from the I.C. Golaknath v. State of Punjab case, who had warned that the Preamble embodies the Constitution’s fundamental values and should remain unaltered.
“This change was not a mere flourish of words,” he said. “It was an earthquake in constitutional philosophy," the Vice President said.
Dhankhar also spoke at length about Dr. Ambedkar’s vision, urging lawmakers to embrace his message of unity and national loyalty. “Dr. Ambedkar lives in our hearts. His messages should be known by every family, every child,” he said.
Quoting Ambedkar’s final speech in the Constituent Assembly, he warned against the dangers of placing caste, creed, or political allegiance above national identity.
“If we place creed above country, our independence will be lost again,” Dhankhar cautioned, calling for renewed reflection on constitutional principles and democratic integrity.