New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged that the new copies of Constitution, which were handed over to the MPs in the Parlimanent yesterday, excluded the words “socialist and secular” from its Preamble.

Expressing concerns over this, the Congress MP said, “The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn’t have the words ‘socialist secular’.”

He added that though the two terms were added following an amendment in 1976 “but if someone gives us the Constitution today and it does not have those words, it is a matter of concern…”

Chowdhury said the intention of the Centre is suspicious. “It has been done cleverly. It is a matter of concern for me. I tried to raise this issue but I did not get an opportunity to raise this issue…”

#WATCH | Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, “The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn’t have the words ‘socialist… pic.twitter.com/NhvBLp7Ufi

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2023

The Congress leader further alleged that the government made this change very “cleverly” and that their intentions were “problematic”.

Chowdhury said that he wanted to raise the issue in Parliament but he didn’t get the chance to do so.

#WATCH | On his claim that the new copies of the Constitution that were given to them, its Preamble didn’t have the words ‘socialist secular’, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, “..When I was reading it, I couldn’t find these two words. I added them… pic.twitter.com/lCwdKtRsYV

— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2023