Assam CM’s call to remove ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from Preamble roils ex-MDC

TURA, June 29: Former member of the GHADC from Balachanda constituency, Sofior Rahman, has strongly condemned Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s call for the removal of the terms ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from the Preamble of the Constitution, referring to them as Western concepts inserted during the Emergency under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The remarks by the Assam chief minister were widely covered by various regional and national media outlets on Sunday, to which the former MDC has taken strong exception, rejecting the statement as “factually misleading, constitutionally unsound and politically provocative.”
In this regard, Rahman, who is also a former Vice Chairman of the Forest Development Corporation, said, “It is true that the terms Secular and Socialist were formally inserted into the Preamble through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976). However, their spirit has always existed within the Constitution through Article 14 (Equality before Law), Articles 25-28 (Freedom of Religion), and the Directive Principles (Social and Economic Justice).”
He referred to the Supreme Court ruling, particularly in S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994), stating that secularism is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution and, hence, cannot be removed or amended by Parliament.
Rahman also sought to correct Sarma’s statement, saying, “Secularism in the Indian context is not a Western import but is rooted in India’s centuries-old values of tolerance, pluralism and peaceful coexistence from Ashoka to Akbar to Gandhi.”
The former MDC also pointed out that Sarma’s statement about being a hardcore Hindu and therefore unable to be secular reflected a flawed understanding of Indian secularism. “A person can follow any faith and still support a secular State. Indian secularism ensures that the State has no religion and treats all citizens equally, regardless of faith,” he added.
Rahman expressed his stand, stating, “India is, by constitutional design, a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic, and any demand to remove these words from the Preamble is not only legally untenable but also morally irresponsible.”
He asserted that politicians who take an oath on the Constitution should uphold its values and not seek to question or dismantle them for ideological convenience.
Further, he stated, “India’s strength lies in its unity through diversity. Secularism and socialism are not alien; they are pillars of Indian democracy that safeguard inclusion, equality, and justice.”
Rahman also called on constitutional authorities and the people of India to reject divisive narratives and defend the foundational values of the Republic.