Shiv Sena Backs Rajnath Singh on ‘Secularism’ Remarks

Mumbai : Shiv Sena today backed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks that secularism was the “most misused” term and hit out at Congress alleging that it effected constitutional amendments to suit its “dirty politics”.

The party said that the Dalit population has over the years realised that Congress has used the ‘divide-and-rule formula’ to serve its “selfish politics” of vote bank.

“The Congress ensured that walls of caste, creed and religion were permanent. The word secularism has been misused in our country,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

“The Constitution was framed to ensure that the country remains a strong sovereign nation. But several amendments were made for dirty politics. In the Shah Bano case, constitutional amendment was made to overturn a historic Supreme Court verdict,” the editorial said.

Because of such instances, the country’s sovereignty is under threat, it said.

“Secularism is the most misused word in the country. Its misuse should come to an end. Because of the rampant misuse of the word, there have been instances of tension in the society,” the Home minister had said yesterday during a debate on the ‘Commitment to India’s Constitution’ as part of 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar in Lok Sabha.

Mr Singh had also said that BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, had never thought of putting the term ‘secularism’ in the Preamble, but it was incorporated through an amendment in 1976.

“The words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ were incorporated in the Preamble through the 42nd amendment of the Constitution. We have no objection,” he said.

Referring to the debate in Lok Sabha, the ‘Saamana’ editorial slammed the Congress for claiming that BR Ambedkar, his constitutional framework and its implementation were all because of the party.

“The Dalit population has over the years realised that Congress, which ensured Ambedkar’s defeat in Lok Sabha polls, has used the ‘divide-and-rule formula’ and used followers of Ambedkar for their selfish politics as vote bank,” the Sena further alleged.

Shiv Sena is an alliance partner of the BJP both in Maharashtra and the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.

Source : NDTV