'This Is Original': Centre's Response To Adhir Ranjan's Big Claim On Constitution Copies Given To MPs

The Centre has responded to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan's claim that words 'socialist and secular' were dropped from the Preamble of Constitution copies, saying it was the original.

After Congress leader Adhir Ranjan expressed doubt over the Centre's intention saying that the words 'socialist and secular' were removed from the Constitution copies given to MPs on Tuesday, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the Constitution was like that when it was drafted and dubbed the copies as 'the original'. Speaking to the media, he said, "When the Constitution was drafted, it was like this. An amendment was made later. This is the original copy. Our spokesperson has replied to the same."

BJP MP Sushil Modi called this an unnecessary controversy and said, "It was not said that this is the amended copy. This was the original copy when the Constitution was accepted. It did not have the words 'socialist secular' in it...Does the socialist word have any relevance now?... This is an unnecessary controversy.."

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "When I was reading it, I couldn't find these two words. I added them on my own... I also showed it to Rahul Gandhi...It was amended in 1976, so why shouldn't we get it today? Why do we do amendments? This shows the deliberate attempt to change our Constitution..."

Dubbing the Centre's intention as suspicious, Adhir Ranjan said, "The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn't have the words 'socialist secular'. We know that the words were added after an amendment in 1976 but if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn't have those words, it is a matter of concern...Their intention is suspicious," Adhir Ranjan said.

"It has been done cleverly. It is a matter of concern for me. I tried to raise this issue but I did not get an opportunity to raise this issue," he added. 

The Congress leader said that if someone gives a copy of the Constitution today, it should carry the version of it as of today.

Binoy Viswam of the CPI also termed the omission of the words as a "crime", Several opposition MPs, including those from the Left and other parties, are likely to raise the matter at their meeting.

Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party's spokesperson Clyde Crasto also raised questions on the issue and said, "The BJP government says that this printed text was the original Preamble. If BJP does not want to respect the constitutional amendment of the Preamble and wants to follow the original, then why have they moved out from the original 'Temple of Democracy', the old Parliament building? Why did they not stay in the original one?" Removing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' is truly a display of BJPs biased mindset, he alleged.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should stop fooling the people of India with their absurd replies because people know what they are trying to really achieve," Crasto said.

The new Parliament building held its first session on Tuesday and MPs were given copies of the Constitution before entering the new building. The Centre also tabled the Women's Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent of Lok Sabha and state legislative Assemblies seats for women, during the session. A war of words also broke out between the Congress and the BJP on the bill with the former claiming that it was initiated under the UPA and the latter accusing the grand old party of stealing credit.