On December 18, 1976, by 42nd Amendment, the term secular was incorporated in the Preamble. It was one of the fundamentals on which the idea of India blossomed with a civil libertarian, democratic, secular and socially radical society. All the religions were to be equally respected. In fact there is no state religion, says our Constitution. All the citizens are allowed to profess, practice and propagate their own religion. Explaining the meaning of secularism, Alexander Owics wrote, “Secularism is a part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution and it means freedom to all, and respect for all religions.“ It was a vision combined with anti-colonial ideology.

The framing of Constitution by a Constituent Assembly, elected indirectly by the members of the Provincial Assemblies on the basis of a limited adult franchise, became a popular demand during the nationalist movement. The British Government, coming under a huge pressure, finally accepted to form the Constituent Assembly in 1946. Hence, it would not be an exaggeration to note that our Constitution was a result of a long drawn desire of the Indian people, fighting to free the country from their colonial masters. In fact, the spirit and ideas of democracy, liberty, freedom etc., all of which serve as the basic foundational principles of our Constitution, were inculcated among the people during the process of the Nationalist movement.

In fact in the Preamble itself, the guiding philosophy of our Constitution, is woven based on the famous Objective Resolution drafted by Nehru and adopted by the Constituent Assembly on January 22, 1947, with a promise to all the citizens to secure right to get “Justice, social, economic and political; Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; Equality of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all, Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the nation.”

The Preamble of our Constitution provides India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic and Republic country. An important part of our Constitution resides in the fact that it ensures certain Fundamental Rights, which are protected by the state. The Fundamental Rights such as the right to equality, to freedom against exploitation, accept one’s own religion, right to constitutional remedies that are aimed to protect individual and minority groups from arbitrary state action. The Directive Principles of State Policy, on the other hand, seems to work as guidelines to the legislatures and state to “promote welfare of the people”. Thus, the basic guiding principles of our Constitution seem to create objective conditions for building of a modern, progressive, secular and egalitarian society, based on individual freedom and liberty.

Constitution with its Preamble ensures for each one in the country a world of composite culture, a fact that symbolizes the unity in diversity, mutual love and respect. But the forces of right are keen to destroy its spirit which is almost the first and last brick on which our secular democratic system is built. It was expressed in the wide spread mass participation in the freedom struggle. It could be noted that the basic features of secularism, as enshrined in Indian Constitution, have also been targeted in the recent past, primarily from the RSS. Ever since the Constitution came in force upholding a modern, secular worldview, the RSS found it objectionable.

The RSS organ Organizer came out with an editorial on November 30, 1949 titled ‘Constitution’ declaring that “the worst about the new Constitution of Bharat is that there is nothing Bharatiya about it…There is no trace of ancient Bharatiya constitutional laws, institutions, nomenclatures and phraseology in it…Manu’s Laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits that means nothing.” Thus marched the ideology of Hindutva the RSS imagined India to be ruled by.

For last ten years, India has witnessed considerable erosion, especially in the ideals propagated in our Constitution and nurtured for years. Of late, many BJP leaders have publicly expressed their desire to do away with the present Constitution and replace it with a new one.

It is true that our Constitution is today 75-year old, but its relevance has not faded at all. Also it was not a free gift. Gandhiji had said, “It was a treasure to be purchased with nation’s best blood.”

The legacy of our Constitution that we had earned after tragic sacrifices even before independence is under threat today. The only way to protect it is unity among all secular forces.

While the vision of the framers of the Constitution, which became effective on 26 January 1950, was secular and democratic, the reality of India today is very different. The RSS which has established control of the government, is out there to assault the core features of the Constitution. In its place, the RSS wants to make Hindutva the unofficial ideology of the government. (IPA Service)