Union Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday dismissed Congress Leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s claims about the removal of the Preamble from NCERT textbooks, stating there is “no question” of altering the Preamble. Nadda emphasized the Modi government’s commitment to safeguarding the Constitution, despite not having personally reviewed the textbooks.
In the Rajya Sabha, Kharge accused the BJP government of removing the Preamble from NCERT textbooks. He stated, “It has been reported that the Preamble of the Constitution was removed from the NCERT books. The preamble has been removed from NCERT textbooks; it was printed in the books earlier. The Preamble is the soul and spirit of the Constitution.”
Referring to a speech from the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Kharge underscored the importance of social democracy, which he described as a way of life that recognizes liberty, equality, and fraternity as intertwined principles. He criticized the government for allegedly erasing statues of Dr. BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi and tampering with the Constitution. “BJP since its election removed statues of Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr BR Ambedkar and then is editing the Constitution. Warns that people will not accept it. The RSS and BJP are forcing their communal ways of thinking on the citizens of India. The step taken by the NCERT is not right,” he added.
Kharge’s accusations prompted loud protests from the Treasury benches, leading Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to intervene. Dhankhar instructed that “Nothing will go on record. The last four minutes will be deleted. Please, everyone, take your seats. The leader of the house will speak after that.”
Responding to Kharge, BJP’s leader of House JP Nadda said Kharge had raised the issue based on reports without verifying from the original source, which in this case is the textbook. “They should have credible sources and should not base their speeches on hearsay; newspaper clippings are not sources; sources are textbooks. I have not seen NCERT books or seen the changes, but with full responsibility, I want to say that the Modi government has full respect for the Constitution and there is no question of tinkering with the Preamble. I can give my guarantee that the government is committed to the Constitution and Preamble; we started celebrating Constitution Day,” Nadda said.
Nadda also referred to the imposition of an Emergency and the repeated dismissal of opposition state governments by the Congress, stating, “The worst day for the constitution was in fact June 25, 1975.” He defended the RSS, describing it as a patriotic organization connected to the grassroots. “You tried to prohibit RSS twice, but RSS came out even stronger, it is a nationalist organisation, that works to serve the country. Bharatiya Janata Party poori takat ke sath Maa Bharti ke seva mai Modi ji ke leadership mai lagi hai. The Preamble has been protected, will be protected,” Nadda said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan firmly refuted allegations that the Preamble of the Indian Constitution has been removed from NCERT textbooks. In a tweet, Pradhan stated that these claims have no basis and emphasized that, under the National Education Policy (NEP), the NCERT has given due importance to various aspects of the Indian Constitution, including the Preamble, Fundamental Duties, Fundamental Rights, and the National Anthem.