Re: Constitutional commitment to Socialism

["Indranil DasGupta" <wanabond@hotmail.com>]

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Dear Chirag:

The infamous "Emergency Amendments" to the Constitution enacted
during 1976 were all immoral and undemocratic but amazingly,
constitutional!! So has ruled subsequent Supreme Court benches.
They were all passed when key opposition leaders including JP,
Morarji Desai, Vajpayee and Advani were in jail. The words
"Socialist" as well as "Secular" were added without any debate
whatsoever. Interestingly, the succeeding Janata govt under Desai
repealed some of the other odious amendments relating to freedom
of the press and suppression of the writ of habeas corpus, but
kept on these ludicrous defacings of our constitution. India was
intended by its founders to be a sovereign, democratic republic.
It was NEVER intended to be a socialistic society, and while
"secularism" a word which has a billion definitions in India (one
for each person), was thought to be implicit in the fundamental
principles outlined, it too was not intended to be imposed on the
nation.

I also have it on good source, that some of the Congress party
chamchas, in their supreme idiocy also wanted to add the word
"friendly". Thank goodness we were at least spared that last
embarassment.

Regards,

Indranil


>From: "Chirag  Kasbekar" <photismo@my-deja.com>
>
>I'd like to know if someone can tell me the details of these changes. How
>they were made -- especially the '76 one. Why they were made -- what was
>the motivation/justification. Who made them. Did I. Gandhi have a strong
>hand in it? Why was the Swaran Singh Committee formed? Were the opposition
>leaders still in jail when the amendment was made?
>
>Or if someone can point to any literature that might be useful. Anything on
>the net?
>
>Warm regards,
>---
>Chirag Kasbekar
>MA student, Economics, University of Mumbai, Vidyanagari, Mumbai - 98.
>
>Address: Row House #6,
>          Om Dwarkanath Society,
>          Sector 19A, Nerul,
>          New Bombay 400 706,
>          Maharashtra, India.
>email: photismo@my-deja.com
>        chirag_k@hotmail.com
>
>
>
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