Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), while appreciating the NDPP-BJP led government’s directives to all departments to celebrate Constitution Day on November 24 by reciting the Preamble of the Constitution of India, however, questioned the intention on the absence of the words “Socialist” and “Secular” from the Preamble written on the circular.
While lauding the initiative, NPCC, however, said that a closer inspection revealed the absence of the words “Socialist” and “Secular”, unmasking the proverbial devil in the details.
A statement issued by NPCC communications department said that this was expectedly in line with the Modi government’s unconstitutionally undertaken backdoor removal of the same words from the Preamble in September this year.
NPCC said that for a state like Nagaland, which was home to one of the most marginalized religious communities in the country, the removal of these words was particularly significant.
Despite the constraints of coalition politics, NPCC said that the chief minister ought to have echoed this sentiment. However, the Congress expressed dismay to note that the chief minister had once again timidly capitulated to the majoritarian agendas of his divisive political partner by going with the Modi government’s unconstitutional version of the Constitution.
Further, NPCC also decried the persecutive excesses of the BJP, both in the state and the Centre, and urged the chief minister to grow a spine and stand tall for his people, for a change.