New Delhi: It took no time for the government to attack the Opposition on the first day of the Winter Session on Thursday with Union home minister Rajnath Singh taking the lead in this.
Initiating the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the contribution of Dr B.R. Ambedkar to the framing of India’s Constitution, he said the word “secular” in today’s times is the “most misused” and that this misuse should stop.
Mr Rajnath Singh, while starting the discussion on ‘Commitment to India’s Constitution’ as part of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar, said, “The words ‘socialist‘ and ‘secular’ were incorporated in the Preamble through the 42nd amendment of the Constitution.
We have no objection. Let bygones be bygones. The creators of the Constitution wanted that its spirit should not be tampered with, yet the amendment was effected. I am of the view that if Dr Ambedkar had felt it necessary then he would have included the two words in the Preamble in the beginning itself.”
Secular is ‘panth nirpeksha’, not ‘dharma’
Countering the contention of home minister Rajnath Singh on the Constitution, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Dr B.R. Ambedkar was also in favour of putting the word in the Preamble, but could not do so due to the situation prevailing then.
Amidst the din, explaining what he meant by the misuse of the word ‘secular’, Mr Singh said that during the translation of the Indian Constitution, the official translation of the word came out to be ‘Panth Nirpeksha’, and not ‘Dharma Nirpeksha’ which is often attributed to in common usage.
“Secularism is the most misused word in the country. Its misuse should come to an end,” he said. The home minister said it was difficult to maintain social harmony because of the “rampant misuse” of the word secularism. He said India was the only country where all 72 sects of Muslims lived and communities like those of the Zoroastrians and Jews felt safe but faced persecution elsewhere.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
