A Private Member’s Bill introduced in the upper house of Parliament aims to excise the words “secular” and “socialist” from the Preamble of the Constitution. The motion was presented by a senior member of the ruling party, who contends that the two terms were inserted in an “undemocratic” manner during the 1976 Emergency and are no longer necessary.
The MP behind the bill argued that the original Constitution adopted in 1949 — effective from 1950 — did not include these descriptors, which were added under the 42nd Amendment. He said the insertion occurred when many opposition leaders were imprisoned and parliamentary debate was stifled, undermining the legitimacy of adding those words.
He additionally maintained that the words produce “confusion,” suggesting that the Constitution’s existing provisions already guarantee the principles those terms represent. Quoting the chairman of the original drafting committee, he asserted that the structural framework of the Constitution inherently preserves values of equality, justice and pluralism. On socialism, he invoked a 1949-era debate involving the drafting committee, where the view was that the Constitution should not bind future policies to any single political-economic doctrine — implying that explicit invocation of “socialist” may limit future flexibility in economic policy.
The bill’s author acknowledged the slim likelihood of passage, given the historical record of private members’ bills rarely becoming law. He said the objective is not immediate acceptance but to ignite public debate and draw government attention to what he terms a historical aberration.
Opposition figures and civil society observers are already warning that such a move could amount to a symbolic undermining of constitutional values, potentially eroding protections and signaling a shift in the ideological grounding of the Republic. Some point out that removing these words may erode confidence among religious minorities and dilute commitment to social justice — elements widely perceived as central to the Constitution’s identity.
Government sources, however, indicated no plans to act on the proposal. A parliamentary response earlier this year had reaffirmed that the state has no intention to reconsider or remove “secular” and “socialist” from the Preamble, describing them as foundational principles under which the nation continues to operate.
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