The Opposition on Friday managed to stall the introduction of a private member bill to amend the Preamble to the Constitution, taking the plea that the basic structure of the document cannot be changed and also pointing to the fact that naysayers outnumbered those in favour of it in the Rajya Sabha.

The bill of BJP parliamentarian K.J. Alphons seeks to replace “socialist” with “equitable”, “equality of status and opportunity” with “equality of status and of opportunity to be born, to be fed, to be educated, to get a job and to be treated with dignity, access to information technology and all its implications, irrespective of caste, creed, social status or income”, and “fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation” with “fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the community and the unity and integrity of the nation”.

Opposition MPs privately conceded that Alphons’s bill was only trying to further spell out the intent of the Preamble but their fear is that any tinkering will set a precedent that could pave the way for more changes later.

When Alphons tried to introduce the bill, Opposition MPs Vaiko, Tiruchi Siva, Manoj Jha and Jairam Ramesh objected, pleading with the Chair to accept the voice vote against its introduction.

Jha said: “…Sir, amendment to the Preamble… is an attack on the very edifice of the Constitution. Are we allowing this House to ransack everything?”

As the Opposition continued to protest, junior parliamentary affairs minister V. Muraleedharan suggested the matter be put on hold and a ruling given later.

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill, the word “socialist’’ has “political connotations and carries a historical baggage which is not acceptable to a large section of Indians”, primarily because of its ideological moorings.

The BJP has often questioned the inclusion of the words socialism and secularism in the Preamble since they were added during Emergency.

Further, Alphons argued that equality of opportunity needs to be elaborated in great detail to rule out any ambiguity. And, by adding access to information technology to it, the purpose is to ensure that the Constitution provides for this new reality, particularly given how it has become central to educational opportunities during the pandemic.

Uphaar

A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the pleas of real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal seeking suspension of their seven-year jail term for tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy that claimed 59 lives. Additional sessions judge Anil Antil dismissed the Ansals’ appeals.

PTI