Political Turmoil Erupts Over RSS Call to Remove Secularism from Constitution

Political Reactions to RSS's Controversial Proposal

A significant political uproar has emerged following the demand by Dattatreya Hosabale, the General Secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to eliminate the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Constitution's preamble. This call for reconsideration of the words added during the Emergency period by the Congress government has drawn sharp criticism from Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and other opposition leaders.

In response to the situation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to social media, stating that the RSS's true intentions are becoming clear. He emphasized that the Constitution, which advocates for equality, secularism, and justice, seems to irritate the RSS. Gandhi further asserted that the RSS and BJP prefer the Manusmriti over the Constitution, aiming to strip rights from marginalized communities and re-establish a form of servitude. He declared that the RSS should abandon such dreams, as patriotic Indians will defend the Constitution to their last breath.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also expressed his views on social media, highlighting that the RSS has consistently opposed the core values of secularism and socialism embedded in the Constitution. He noted that the recent comments from their leaders are not mere coincidences but part of a long-standing agenda to reshape India's democracy according to their ideological vision. Congress MP K.C. Venugopal criticized the current state of constitutional institutions, questioning their integrity and accusing the BJP and Prime Minister Modi of attacking these institutions. He pointed out that the country has been experiencing a form of undeclared emergency over the past eleven years.

Venugopal raised concerns about the status of constitutional bodies and the Election Commission's activities, asserting that there has been an assault on constitutional values. To counter this, the Congress party is organizing a 'Save the Constitution' campaign, which has already reached approximately 689 locations at the district level and is now expanding to assembly constituencies. He suggested that the BJP is on the defensive, attempting to distract from their failures with such theatrics.