Addition of ‘secular’, ‘socialist’ to Preamble sacrilege to ‘sanatana’ spirit: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said that the addition of the words “secular” and “socialist” to the Preamble of the Constitution during the Emergency was a “sacrilege to the spirit of sanatana”, The Indian Express reported.

Sanatana dharma is a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.

The vice president’s comments come a day after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh called for a review of the inclusion of these two terms in the Preamble. The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The words “socialist” and “secular” were not part of the Constitution adopted in 1950 and were added in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment.

Addressing an event in New Delhi, Dhankhar said that the Preamble is the “soul” of any Constitution and is not meant to be changed or altered.

He added that apart from India, no other country had changed its Preamble.

We are changing the soul of the Constitution by this flash of words, added during the period of Emergency — the darkest period for the Constitution of the country.

These words have been added as नासूर. These words will create upheaval. Addition of these words in the Preamble… pic.twitter.com/cg2cmzN0r7

— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) June 28, 2025

After the RSS’s call, Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jitendra Singh have also voiced their support for a review.

Chouhan on...

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