Overview
- BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhim Singh on Friday introduced a Private Member’s Constitution amendment bill seeking to drop the words from the Preamble.
- He argues the terms were inserted during the 1976 Emergency without proper debate, says they create confusion, and alleges they were added for political appeasement.
- The text says removing the words would not affect fundamental rights or other constitutional provisions.
- Courts have held secularism to be part of the Constitution’s core identity, and any removal effort would face rigorous judicial scrutiny under the basic-structure doctrine.
- The proposal is seen as unlikely to pass, as Private Member’s Bills rarely become law and none have cleared both Houses since 1970.