GROUNDWATER OF THE CONSTITUTION

On June 26, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the quiet part out loud. He wanted a discussion on whether the words 'secular' and 'socialist' “should remain” in the Constitution's Preamble. He said Ambedkar never used these words and argued that they were smuggled in during the Emergency. The 50th anniversary of the Emergency was seemingly a good occasion to discuss deleting them altogether.

- BY SANJAY HEGDE

Hosabale does not seek reform; what he wants is a regression. The Constitution is not an à la carte menu. You cannot pick what you like and discard the rest. The Preamble reflects our national purpose. To alter its core is not debate. It is demolition.