No need for socialism in India, secularism not core of our culture: Union minister Shivraj Chouhan

Varanasi (UP): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said "there is no need for socialism in India", adding "secularism is not the core of our culture".

Chouhan's remarks assume significance as the RSS on Thursday called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the preamble of the Constitution, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. Addressing an event organised at New Delhi on 50 years of the Emergency, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, "The preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words. During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added." Speaking at a programme held in Varanasi to mark 50 years of the Emergency, Chouhan said, "'Bharat mein samajwad kee zaroorat nahi hai... Dharmanirapeksh hamaaree sanskrti ka mool nahin hai aur issliye is par zaroor vichaar hona chaahiye' (There is no need for socialism in India... 'Secular' is not the core of our culture and hence, this must be deliberated upon)," he said.

In indirect support to the RSS' call to review the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Constitution, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday also said any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Recalling the days of the Emergency, Chouhan said in order to save her power, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country.

"There was no threat to external security nor was there any threat to internal security. The only threat was to the prime minister's chair, hence, on the night of June 25, 1975, the Emergency was declared in the country without holding a cabinet meeting," the Union minister said.

Veteran Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Rajendra Chaudhary slammed the BJP and the RSS for suggesting that the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Constitution's Preamble could be done away with.

"These statements merely prove that the RSS and BJP don't believe in democracy and are making attempts to weaken the Constitution," Chaudhary told PTI.

UP Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI, "Such statements in fact validate what we have been saying for long that the RSS and BJP don't have any faith in the Constitution. This country belongs to all. The Congress will protect the Constitution at all costs." Chouhan said he was only 16 years old when the Emergency was promulgated and he was also arrested and taken to jail under Defence of India Rules.

"Even today, I get goosebumps remembering those dark days. During the Emergency, if there was a frenzy to demolish houses at Turkman Gate, the public was crushed by bulldozers. If anyone protested, they were riddled with bullets. It was not bullets fired on the public, it was the murder of the Constitution," Chouhan recalled.

The Union minister said there was neither any appeal, nor "vakeel" (lawyer), nor "daleel" (argument) and alleged that it was murder of the Constitution.

"All civil rights were suspended. Putting a lock on the freedom of the press is murder of the Constitution, reducing the rights of the court, making it ineffective -- it was murder of the Constitution.

"Making the entire country a prison -- this was the murder of the Constitution. All opposition parties and even students were put in jails. The Congress is the killer of the Constitution," he said.

The senior BJP leader took a dig at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and without naming him alleged that the Congress does not have the right to keep a copy of the Constitution.

"Those dark days are still remembered. Dictatorship is in the DNA of the Congress. Those who roam around with a copy of the Constitution in their hands will have to answer, he said.

Chouhan said if the Congress wants to learn democracy, it should learn from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party respects the spirit of democracy but for what Congress did, I am repeating again that they should rub their nose and apologise to the country that they had committed this historical mistake," he said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly believes in democracy and that is why the work of celebrating Constitution Day in independent India was done by Prime Minister Modi. Democracy is in the nature of the Bharatiya Janata Party," Chouhan said.