Sonia backs Adhir Ranjan claim on missing words 'socialist, secular'

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday backed party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s allegation that the words "socialist, secular" were missing in the copy of the Constitution given to MPs, and said they were not in the Preamble.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Sonia Gandhi said, “Have you seen the full Constitution or the (Preamble)...? In the Preamble it is not there.”

Her remarks came after Chowdhury and Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen on Wednesday stirred a row with their claim that in the copy of the Constitution given to MPs, the words "socialist, secular" were missing.

Speaking to the media in Parliament, Chowdhury, who is also the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha said, “Yesterday I raised this issue. In the Constitution copy, I could not find these two words secular and socialist. Then I spoke to Rahul Gandhi and also said that look 'ched chad' (attempt to change) is being done. It was amended in 1976, so why shouldn't we get it today? Why do we make amendments? This shows a deliberate attempt to change our Constitution."

He said that five points of the Preamble are important. “These are sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. The objectives of the Preamble are justice, equality, liberty and fraternity. If these things are changed then the foundation of the country will weaken,” he added.

Meanwhile, the government refuted the charges made by Congress and said that this was the original copy of the Constitution, to which an amendment had been made later to add the missing words.

Speaking to the media in Parliament, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Parliament 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."