No current plan or intention to remove ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ from Preamble of Constitution, Law Minister tells Rajya Sabha

The Union government has “no current plan or intention” to reconsider or remove the words ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ from the Preamble of the Constitution inserted during the Emergency period, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday (July 24, 2025). File

NeThe Indian government has “no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ from the Preamble of the Constitution”, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (July 24, 2025).In a written response to Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, who had asked if the government was reconsidering the use of the words “socialism” and “secularism” in the Preamble of the Constitution, the Minister explained that the Supreme Court in November 2024 had dismissed petitions challenging the 1976 amendment (42nd Constitutional Amendment), while affirming that Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution extends to the Preamble.“The Court clarified that ‘socialism’ in the Indian context signifies a welfare state and does not impede private sector growth, while ‘secularism’ is integral to the Constitution’s basic structure,” the reply stated.Responding to another question of the SP MP as to whether an atmosphere was being created by office-bearers of some social organisations in this regard, Mr. Meghwal said it was possible that certain groups were expressing opinions or advocating for reconsideration of these words. Such activities can “create a public discourse or atmosphere around the issue, but do not necessarily reflect the official stance or actions of the government”, he said.Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale had last month said that “secularism and socialism were not part of the Preamble of the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar” and their relevance in the present times must be reviewed.Days after the RSS general secretary’s remarks, former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar had also asserted that the words inserted in the Preamble during the Emergency era were a “festering wound”. He added that the Preamble is sacrosanct and “not changeable” and that the words are a “sacrilege to the spirit of Sanatan”.“Any discussions regarding amendments to the preamble would require thorough deliberation and broad consensus, but as of now, the government has not initiated any formal process to change these provisions,” he added. Published - July 24, 2025 07:27 pm IST