Government ad missing 'secular, socialist' in Constitution's Preamble kicks up controversy

A major controversy has broken out after the Narendra Modi government did not use the word 'socialist' and 'secular' in the advertisement published in newspapers to commemorate India's 66th Republic Day. 

The ad was issued by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, which is under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

But the ad used the image of the original Preamble in the background, which says "We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, democratic Republic..." The words "Socialist, Secular'' were introduced in 1976. 

Incidentally, President Obama in his parting note said that the India story will succeed as long as there is no religious difference. Mentioning the Constitution, he said, "India will succeed as long as it's not splintered along religious lines. Your Article 25 (of the Constitution) says that all people are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion."

Narendra Modi has hailed the Constitution as the holy book of the nation, but the two missing words in the official ad has kicked up a massive controversy at a time when there are concerns about growing religious intolerance in the country.

Some commentators have also pointed out about the lack of effort to address religious diversity in the advertisement.