Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma requested the Government of India to remove the two words - 'secular' and 'socialist' - from the Preamble of the Constitution of India. These two words, as the Chief Minister said, were inserted into the Constitution of India during the Emergency promulgated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Unveiling a book - The Emergency Diary - published by Bluekraft Digital Foundation, chronicling the dark chapter of the Emergency at the state BJP headquarters here today, the Chief Minister said, "The Emergency was not the result of any national or international crisis but a calculated political conspiracy by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi solely to protect her position. Indira Gandhi not only violated democratic principles but also undermined the very spirit of the Constitution by amending its Preamble in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment and inserting the words 'socialist' and 'secular'.
The Chief Minister highlighted that India's spirit of Sarva Dharma Sambhav - equal respects to all religions - is ingrained in its traditions. The insertion of these two words took us nearer to the Western thoughts, distancing us from Bharat's own thoughts. "Therefore, the Government of India must remove these two words - 'secular' and 'socialist' - from the Preamble and restore it to its original form as envisioned by the Constitution's architects, including Dr B.R. Ambedkar," he said.
The Chief Minister further said, "If the Congress party takes pride in India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war and the creation of an independent Bangladesh, then it should also be held accountable for failing to secure the vulnerable 22-km-wide chicken neck region. Had they done so, Bangladesh would have been compelled to take back illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in Assam."
The Chief Minister said that the young generation must be made aware of the horrific chapter in which the fundamental rights of Indian citizens were crushed and democratic values were endangered. "In the 76 years of India's democratic journey, the Emergency remained a grim reminder of how fragile democracy can become if power is abused," he said and stressed that such circumstances must never be allowed to recur in the future.
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