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Right-wing Hindu nationalist parties challenge India's secular identity through constitutional amendments [1]
['Gv South Asia']
Date: 2025-07-12
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in India in 2014, discussions around constitutional amendments have become a recurring theme.
A significant incident occurred on January 26, 2015, when the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting published a newspaper advertisement featuring the Preamble to the Constitution. The version used read: “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Democratic Republic.” Notably, this rendition omitted the words “Socialist” and “Secular”, which were added to the Preamble through the 42nd Amendment in 1976. The official Preamble currently states: “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic.”
The advertisement was immediately condemned by opposition parties, prompting calls for an impartial investigation. However, a month later, the then-Union Minister Arun Jaitley addressed the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of the Indian Parliament), stating that the version used reflected the original Constitution and was intended solely to honour the founding fathers, without any malafide intent.
Five years ago, in 2020, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Rakesh Sinha urged the government to remove the word “socialist” from the preamble of the Indian Constitution, pointing out that it was not part of the original text but was inserted through the 42nd Amendment later.
That same year, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, along with several others, filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India seeking the removal of both “secular” and “socialist” from the Preamble. However, in November 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, ruling that the two terms are integral to the Constitution’s basic structure.
The Court emphasised that although “secular” and “socialist” were not included in the original 1950 Constitution, they had always been understood as part of its foundational philosophy — principles that Parliament does not have the authority to amend. These terms were formally added in 1976 through the 42nd Amendment, during the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Critics have long argued that their inclusion was undemocratic, as many opposition leaders were imprisoned at the time and could not participate in the debate.
However, it is important to note that as early as 1973 — three years before the 42nd Amendment — the Supreme Court, in the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case, had already declared secularism to be an integral part of the Constitution.
The controversy resurfaced in June 2025, when General Secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing, Hindu nationalist volunteer paramilitary organisation, Dattatreya Hosabale, stated that the words “secular” and “socialist” were not part of the Constitution’s original preamble and the time had come to remove them.
How are India’s opposition parties reacting?
India’s opposition parties have strongly reacted to RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale’s remarks. The Indian National Congress and several other opposition groups have unequivocally condemned his statement, questioning the underlying motives behind such comments. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asking why the party’s own constitution includes the words “socialist” and “secular” while its ideological parent, the RSS, advocates removing them from the Indian Constitution.
Many social media users also voiced their opposition, highlighting how India’s founding leaders envisioned a nation grounded in secularism and welfare-oriented values.
On X, “Nehruvian”, an account in tribute to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, posted:
“Netaji and Panditji were vastly different, as persons, as leaders. But their minds did converge, powerfully, in their sense of five things. First, in their valorous patriotism. Second, in their uncompromising secularism. Third, in their socialist faith. pic.twitter.com/FdmqbCEptu — Nehruvian (@_nehruvian) January 2, 2025
Another user, Nethrapal, posted a thread on X stating that the Supreme Court of India has already dismissed petitions to remove the “Secularism” and “Socialism” from the preamble of the constitution.
Can the words “secularism” and “socialist” be amended in the preamble of the constitution? This has been settled in the recent supreme court judgement of Dr Balramsingh and others in 2020 wherein Supreme court dismissed the petitions to remove the words “socialist” and “secular”… pic.twitter.com/SCZWhXC1wM — Nethrapal (@nethrapal) June 28, 2025
Similarly, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s Parliament), asserted that the RSS seeks to shape India’s governance according to the Manusmriti — an ancient Hindu text widely criticised for endorsing caste discrimination, gender inequality, and harsh social hierarchies.
The term “secular” not only affirms that India has no official state religion but also ensures equal treatment and opportunity for all faiths, reinforcing the country’s pluralistic and inclusive ethos. As columnist Shivasundar wrote in The News Minute:
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