Mokokchung, 25 November (MTNews): In a recent circular from the Home Department of Nagaland, the NDPP-BJP government mandated that all state departments commemorate Constitution Day on November 24, 2023, by reciting the Preamble of the Constitution of India. While this initiative appears laudable, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) pointed out that a closer inspection reveals the absence of the words ‘Socialist’ and ‘Secular’ from the Preamble written on the circular, ‘unmasking the proverbial devil in the details.’
This omission aligns with the controversial removal of the same words from the Preamble by the Modi Government in September of this year—a move widely criticized as unconstitutional, according to NPCC.
Furthermore, the Congress emphasized that for a state like Nagaland, home to one of the most marginalized religious communities in the country, the removal of these words is ‘particularly significant.’
“Despite the constraints of coalition politics, our honorable Chief Minister ought to have echoed this sentiment. However, it’s quite sad to note that he has once again timidly capitulated to the majoritarian agendas of his divisive political partner by adopting the Modi Government’s unconstitutional version of the Constitution,” added the Congress.
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee said it decries the “persecutive excesses of the BJP, both in the state and the center,” and urged CM Rio to “grow a spine and stand tall for his people, for a change.”
It may be noted that the terms “Socialist,” “Secular,” and “Integrity” were added to the Preamble of Indian Constitution in 1976 through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment by the Indian National Congress under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the emergency.