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Wednesday, January 7, 2026
TopicPreamble

Topic: Preamble

No plans to drop ‘socialist’ or ‘secular’ from Constitution, govt tells Rajya Sabha

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said any move to amend the Preamble needs broad consensus & thorough deliberation, adding that the government has not started any formal process so far.

SubcriberWrites: Constitutional underpinnings—why the demand for the removal of ‘secular’ & ‘socialist’ is legally unsound?

In effect, the call for the removal of ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from the Preamble is against the constitutional mandate. Any attempt in that direction would lead to constitutional erosion.

The Preamble won’t be changed back to the original. Here’s why

All political parties used the 'Constitutional' mandate of secularism and Article 29 to provide facilities and privileges exclusively to non-Hindus.

‘Squatter’ under the bridge & Tehran’s got 99 problems and ‘too many victories’ may be one

The best cartoons of the day, chosen by the editors at ThePrint.

Not just ‘socialist, secular’, a lot more from Emergency-era 42nd Amendment still part of Constitution

In 1976, the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution not only added two words but also introduced changes in 40 Articles & the Seventh Schedule while adding 14 new Articles.

SC didn’t answer key question in preamble case. Does 42nd Amendment pass democracy test?

The verdict on the preamble amendments of 1976 suggests that the courts will accept flexible meanings of terms. A Constitution built of plasticine can be made to mean anything.

On Camera

A 2-hour op, precise extradition—what Maduro’s capture tells us about modern US military

Despite multiple agencies being involved, the US could maintain a clear chain of command. This is something India should consider too, as it defines the theatre command structures.

Underlining sluggish exports, NITI Aayog flags need to jump-start India’s automotive market

Govt think tank flags India’s skewed auto export mix, warns domestic focus and high tariffs are limiting its global footprint; also highlights how auto components are a bright spot.

S-300, Su-30 jets, T-72 tanks: Inventory of Venezuela’s largely Russian-origin arsenal

Venezuela also boasts of a diverse portfolio of unmanned aerial vehicles capable of carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and being employed for kinetic purposes as well.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.