'Secular', 'socialist' missing from copies of Constitution given to lawmakers: Adhir Chowdhury
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday alleged that the words "secular" and "socialist" were missing from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution given to lawmakers on the opening day of the new Parliament building.
However, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the copies carried the original version of the Preamble of the Constitution and that these words were added later to it after constitutional amendments.
"This is as per the original Preamble. Amendments were made later," he asserted.
Terming the matter as serious, Chowdhury said the words have been "cleverly removed" and expressed doubts over the intentions of the BJP government.
"The Preamble of the Constitution in the copy that we carried to the new building does not include the words secular and socialist. They have been cleverly removed...this is a serious matter and we will raise this issue," he told reporters.
Chowdhury said he knows that the words were added later in 1976 to the Constitution.
"For me this is a serious issue. I doubt their intentions as their heart does not seem to be clear on this," he said.
The Congress Leader of the House in Lok Sabha also said that if someone gives a copy of the Constitution today, it should carry the version of it as of today.
Binoy Viswam of the CPI-M termed the omission of the words as a "crime",
Several opposition MPs, including those from the Left and other parties, are likely to raise the matter at their meeting.
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Remarks against St Francis Xavier: Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar gets bail
Panaji (PTI): A court in Goa on Saturday granted bail to right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar, who was arrested after he allegedly made derogatory comments against St Francis Xavier.
Judicial Magistrate First Class, Vasco, granted regular bail to Khattar, currently admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for treatment of chest pain after he was shifted from the District Hospital in Mapusa two days back.
A row erupted after a video of remarks by Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, at an event on April 18 in the presence of Swami Brahmeshanand, State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar, went viral.
St Francis Xavier is revered as the patron saint of Goa.
The controversial remarks led to the Vasco Police registering an FIR against Khattar on charges of hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between groups.
He was detained in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, by local police. His custody was later handed over to the Goa Crime Branch, according to officials.
