‘No move to drop secular, socialist from Preamble’

The government has not initiated any formal legal or constitutional process to remove the words “socialist” and “secular” from the Preamble of the Constitution, the Union law and justice ministry informed Parliament on Thursday. Responding to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman, Union minister of state (independent charge) for law and justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that no formal decision or proposal has been made on the matter.

- Snehashish Roy

Meghwal acknowledged the 2024 Supreme Court observation that socialism reflects India’s welfare state status and secularism forms part of the Constitution's basic structure. He underlined the difference between public discourse and official policy, stating, “Regarding the atmosphere created by office bearers of some social organisations, it is possible that certain groups are expressing opinions or advocating for reconsideration of these words... but this does not necessarily reflect the official stance or actions of the government.”