‘Fifty per cent of Constitution changed after Emergency was imposed’: Pralhad Joshi.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM(Kerala): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stated on Sunday that fifty per cent of the Constitution was changed after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency.

He also took a veiled dig at the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for carrying a copy of the Constitution in one hand on several occasions.

“After the emergency was imposed, the 42nd Amendment was brought, which changed the 32 provisions of the Constitution. Fifty per cent of the Constitution was changed…Today, some people are showing the Constitution in public; they should at least express remorse or regret over it, which they have never done,” Joshi said while addressing the gathering at a seminar on 50 Years of Emergency here.

The country marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency on June 25.

Meanwhile, Days after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattatreya Hosabale suggested reconsidering the inclusion of the terms “socialist” and “secular” in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh on Sunday said that since they are not able to speak directly, they are speaking against secularism and socialism.

Speaking to the media, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Certain people who are against the reservation are not able to speak against the reservation for fear of losing out on votes. They are opposed to the establishment of social justice… Since they are not able to speak directly, they are speaking against secularism and socialism”.

Earlier, RSS general secretary Hosabale suggested reconsidering the inclusion of the terms “socialist” and “secular” in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Hosabale was addressing an event on the 50th anniversary of the emergency, held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture) and the Ambedkar International Centre.
Speaking at the event, he emphasised that the emergency wasn’t just a misuse of power but an attempt to crush civil liberties. Millions were imprisoned, and freedom of the press was suppressed.
He remarked that during the emergency, terms like “socialist” and “secular” were forcibly inserted into the Constitution — a move that needs to be reconsidered.