Sandeep Dikshit Slams RSS Over Remarks on Secularism, Recalls Emergency Support

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi — Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit launched a strong rebuttal to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s recent comments on secularism, accusing the Sangh of having a limited understanding of constitutional values and a selective historical memory.

“RSS always has less than half of the information,” Dikshit said, pointing to the organization’s past actions. He recalled instances when the RSS allegedly encouraged rebellion and protests that paralyzed governance, including demonstrations near the Prime Minister’s residence. “They used to directly talk about rebellion in the country, surrounding the PM's house, not letting the government work,” he added.

Dikshit also raised questions about the RSS’s conduct during the Emergency imposed in 1975. “Why did they welcome the Emergency? Balasaheb Deoras even wrote to the Prime Minister hailing the decision,” he claimed, referencing the then-RSS chief's correspondence with Indira Gandhi.

He further argued that secularism has always been integral to the Indian Constitution, regardless of its formal inclusion in the Preamble via the 42nd Amendment in 1976. “Take Article 15 or any other — it is a rule that no government shall discriminate based on religion or any other factor. Secularism was in our Constitution even before it was added to the Preamble,” Dikshit asserted.

Raising another historical point, he questioned why the RSS-backed Janta Party did not remove the word “secular” from the Constitution when it came to power in 1977, if it was so opposed to the concept.

“What can anyone do if they don’t understand the meaning of it?” Dikshit concluded, accusing the RSS of misrepresenting constitutional principles for political ends.