Nagpur: NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday called the Indian Constitution a product of extensive debate and asserted that nobody would be allowed to alter it.The Lok Sabha MP from Baramati was addressing a press conference in Nagpur.To a query about RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s recent call for reviewing the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the preamble of the Constitution, Sule said that in a democracy, everybody has the right to speak.”He said what he felt,” said Sule.Addressing an event on the 50 years of the Emergency, Hosabale had said, “The preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words (socialist and secular). During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added.”Sule said such controversies remind her of late former BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who used to say that if “you (media)” stopped spotlighting these incidents, people wouldn’t talk about them.”The Constitution is the result of much discussion and deliberation. We will not let anyone change the Constitution in this country,” she said.Asked about the raging controversy over Hindi for students in primary school, Sule asked, “Is Hindi compulsory in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh or Telangana? When Hindi is not compulsory everywhere, then why is it being made mandatory in Maharashtra?”The language row erupted after the state government last week issued an amended order stating Hindi will “generally” be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5.According to the order, if 20 students per grade in a school wish to study any other Indian language, they can opt out of Hindi. If such a demand arises, either a teacher will be appointed, or the language will be taught online.Opposition parties, however, dubbed the move a default imposition of Hindi as a third language.
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