RSS never accepted Ambedkar’s Constitution, says Opposition after RSS leader’s comment on secularism, socialism

Opposition parties sharply criticised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s comment that the words “secular” and “socialist” in the Preamble of the Constitution should be reviewed, with the Congress on Friday (June 27, 2025) alleging that the RSS “never accepted” Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution.

On Thursday (June 26, 2025), Mr. Hosabale had called for reviewing the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble, arguing that they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B.R. Ambedkar. “The Preamble is eternal. Are the thoughts of socialism as an ideology eternal for India?” he said at an event to mark the 50^th anniversary of the Emergency.

In a Facebook post, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claimed that the “mask” of the RSS has come off again. “The Constitution hurts them because it talks about equality, secularism and justice. The RSS-BJP does not want the Constitution but Manusmriti. By snatching their rights, they (BJP-RSS) want to make the poor and the Bahujans slaves again. Their real agenda is to snatch away a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding his party “wont let that happen”.

Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, in a X post, said “the RSS’s single-minded focus to destroy the Constitution is never hidden for too long”.

“Beyond the BJP’s lip service to the Constitution, their hidden agenda has always been to distort and destroy our Constitution – because it stands against the core fascist beliefs of the RSS-BJP. A senior RSS member surely knows that the Supreme Court declared socialism and secularism to be part of the basic structure of the Constitution,” Mr. Venugopal said.

‘Read SC order’

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh, in a X post, added, “The RSS has NEVER accepted the Constitution of India. It attacked Dr. Ambedkar, Nehru, and others involved in its framing from Nov 30, 1949 onwards. In the RSS’s own words, the Constitution was not inspired by Manusmriti”.

“The Chief Justice of India himself delivered a judgment on November 25, 2024 on the issue now being raised by a leading RSS functionary. Would it be asking too much to request him to take the trouble to read it?” Mr. Ramesh said, while sharing the relevant portions of the Supreme Court order.

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The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), in a statement, said, “This proposal exposes the RSS’s long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra, in pursuit of its Hindutva project.”

Stating that the Indian Constitution embodies the aspirations of countless freedom fighters, the CPI(M) said, “The inclusion of ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ in the Preamble is not arbitrary; it reflects the core values for which freedom fighters like Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and his comrades stood and sacrificed their lives.”

CPI general secretary D. Raja said, “B.R. Ambedkar had emphatically rejected the idea of Hindu Rashtra and the Constitution reflected the principle of secularism. That’s why the RSS-BJP wants to distmantle the Constitution.”

Secularism and Socialism are not mere words in the Constitution but the guiding principles that reflect the soul and vision of independent India, said G. Devarajan, general secretary All India Forward Bloc.

“Secularism is the cornerstone of India’s pluralistic and inclusive civilisation. It ensures equal respect and freedom for all religions and is the bedrock of our national unity. Any attempt to dilute secularism is an attempt to communalise the polity and push the nation towards a dangerous theocratic trajectory, which is wholly alien to the spirit of our Constitution,” he said.