Emergency-Era Changes In Constitution's Preamble A 'Festering Wound': VP Dhankhar

Last Updated:June 29, 2025, 05:27 IST

His comments come against the backdrop of a recent call from sections of the RSS and BJP for a review of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble

Dhankhar's remarks also touched upon the judicial understanding of the Preamble. File pic/PTI

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Saturday that the preamble of any constitution is its soul, and it is not changeable. Except for India, he said, no other constitution’s preamble has undergone change. He was speaking at an event marking the presentation of a book titled Ambedkar’s Messages.

The Vice President was referring to the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, enacted during the Emergency declared on June 25, 1975. This amendment controversially added the words “Socialist", “Secular", and “Integrity" to the Preamble, which originally described India as a “Sovereign Democratic Republic".

Dhankhar questioned the legitimacy of these changes, particularly their timing. He highlighted that the amendments were pushed through during the “darkest period of Indian democracy", when fundamental rights were suspended and countless citizens, including prominent leaders, were imprisoned. He said, “When We the People were bleeding—in heart, in soul—they were in darkness," making the alteration a “travesty of justice."

Dhankhar’s remarks also touched upon the judicial understanding of the Preamble. He recalled the Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala case of 1973, where a 13-judge bench of the Supreme Court had deeply reflected on the Preamble, with Justice HR Khanna famously stating that it serves as a guide to interpreting the Constitution and indicates its authority derives from “We the People of India".

His comments come against the backdrop of a recent call from sections of the RSS and BJP for a review of the terms “socialist" and “secular" in the Preamble, arguing they were forcibly added and were not part of BR Ambedkar’s original draft.

The Vice President argued that changing something considered unalterable, something that emanates from the people, at a time when the people were “virtually enslaved", was a grave “sacrilege to the spirit of Sanatana" and a belittling of India’s civilisational heritage. He further termed the added words a “nasoor" (festering wound) that could “create upheaval", signalling a “betrayal of the mindset of the framers of the Constitution".

(With agency inputs)

News politics Emergency-Era Changes In Constitution's Preamble A 'Festering Wound': VP Dhankhar