BHUBANESWAR: Alleged omission of the words “socialist” and “secular” from the Constitution’s Preamble displayed inside the assembly in BJP-governed Odisha triggered uproar on the opening day of the winter session Tuesday as BJD and Congress protested seeking their restoration, reports Ashok Pradhan.
“The mysterious disappearance of these crucial words comes just a day after the Supreme Court affirmed their permanence in the Preamble under the 42nd Constitutional Amendment,” said BJD member Ranendra Pratap Swain outside the assembly. The controversy erupted during Question Hour when Swain raised the issue, prompting party members to storm the well shouting anti-govt slogans. Congress joined the protests, with legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam demanding immediate restoration of the words.
The disruptions forced speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn proceedings twice. However, BJP MLA Irasis Acharya called the claims misleading. “The display shows the original 1949 Preamble, before the two words were inserted in 1976. This has remained unchanged through different govts, including those headed by BJD and Congress,” Acharya said.