IMPACT: Govt Ad `Deletes' Secular' From The Preamble

A Republic Day advertisement issued by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting caused an online rumpus with many alleging that the ministry had deleted the words “secular“ and “socialist“ from the Preamble of the Constitution featured in the ad as a watermark image. INNLIVE published the story (Govt Ad 'Blunder' Shows 'Constitution Without Secular) in these columns and as an impact government responded immediately and deleted the words from the ad.

However, a ministry source clarified that the image used in the advertisement was from the original version of the Preamble. The words were added in 1976 as a part of the 42nd amendment of the Constitution.

The Constitution, as we know it today , begins with the words, “We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic...“ However, the image used in the background of the ad reads: “We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign democratic republic...“