With Assembly elections nearing, opposition parties in Bihar are using the remarks to mobilize backward castes and Dalits, warning voters of an alleged threat to the Constitution.
BY Navin Upadhyay
New Delhi | June 28, 2025 —A renewed call by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to review the inclusion of the words “secular” and “socialist” in the Preamble of the Constitution has triggered sharp political backlash, with opposition parties accusing the Sangh Parivar of attacking the core values of Indian democracy. The timing of the controversy—months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections—has also sparked speculation about potential political fallout for the BJP in the electorally significant state.
RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, speaking on Saturday, said, “These words were added during the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament was ineffective, and the judiciary was crippled.” He argued that a review was necessary to re-examine the intent behind their insertion.
The comments drew immediate and intense criticism from opposition parties, who described the statement as a “deliberate assault” on the soul of the Constitution. Many drew parallels to a similar episode in 2015, when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a “social review” of the reservation policy just ahead of the Bihar polls—an intervention widely believed to have contributed to the BJP’s defeat at the hands of a united opposition led by Lalu Prasad Yadav.
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Echoes of 2015: Will History Repeat in Bihar?
Political observers note that the latest remarks may again prove politically costly. Bihar has long been a bastion of socialist politics and secular values, with a deep-rooted commitment to constitutional protections for marginalized communities.
The opposition sees an opportunity to rally backward classes and Dalit voters once again by positioning themselves as defenders of the Constitution. If they succeed in reviving the messaging used in the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign—focused on safeguarding constitutional values and protecting the rights of the oppressed—the BJP could face a setback in the upcoming state elections.
RSS का नक़ाब फिर से उतर गया।
संविधान इन्हें चुभता है क्योंकि वो समानता, धर्मनिरपेक्षता और न्याय की बात करता है।
RSS-BJP को संविधान नहीं, मनुस्मृति चाहिए। ये बहुजनों और ग़रीबों से उनके अधिकार छीनकर उन्हें दोबारा ग़ुलाम बनाना चाहते हैं। संविधान जैसा ताक़तवर हथियार उनसे छीनना इनका…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 27, 2025
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, said: “The RSS mask has come off again. They don’t want the Constitution; they want Manusmriti. Equality, secularism, and justice disturb them.” He added that the RSS-BJP wants to strip the marginalized of their rights and reimpose oppression.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the RSS of never accepting Ambedkar’s Constitution, calling the latest move a continuation of efforts to subvert it. “From the beginning, the RSS attacked Ambedkar, Nehru, and others who framed the Constitution. They want a new one—and that was Modi’s campaign cry in 2024. The people rejected it then, and they will again,” Ramesh said.
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He also referenced a Supreme Court judgment delivered by the Chief Justice in November 2024, addressing issues related to the Preamble’s sanctity. “Would it be too much to ask Hosabale to read it?” he quipped.
RSS का नक़ाब फिर से उतर गया।
संविधान इन्हें चुभता है क्योंकि वो समानता, धर्मनिरपेक्षता और न्याय की बात करता है।
RSS-BJP को संविधान नहीं, मनुस्मृति चाहिए। ये बहुजनों और ग़रीबों से उनके अधिकार छीनकर उन्हें दोबारा ग़ुलाम बनाना चाहते हैं। संविधान जैसा ताक़तवर हथियार उनसे छीनना इनका…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 27, 2025
CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the remarks as a “brazen attempt to dismantle the Republic’s ideals.” He pointed out the irony of the RSS using the Emergency as a pretext, despite “colluding with Indira Gandhi’s regime during that very period.”
“Secularism and socialism are not add-ons—they define India. Every democrat must rise against this communal agenda,” Vijayan posted on X.
While the BJP has not officially endorsed Hosabale’s comments, the party finds itself in damage-control mode. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar weighed in, noting that the Preamble was indeed amended during the Emergency in 1976 to include the words “secular”, “socialist”, and “integrity”. While he acknowledged the Preamble as the “seed” of the Constitution, he also urged reflection on its modification, stating that India is among the few nations to have altered its constitutional preamble post-adoption.
The debate has reignited longstanding ideological tensions over the vision and future of the Indian Constitution, with the Sangh Parivar pushing for reinterpretation and critics warning of creeping authoritarianism.
As the Bihar elections approach, the political stakes are high. Whether this controversy becomes another turning point, like in 2015, remains to be seen—but the battle lines are clearly drawn.
