Tejashwi Yadav said that the party's parlimentarians ensured that the bill was not introduced
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav today accused the BJP government of "theft", taking a swipe at the centre's proposal to change the word 'socialist' in the Preamble to Indian Constitution.
"The BJP government's theft was caught in the Parliament yesterday when they presented a bill to remove the word socialist from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution," Mr Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.
The RJD leader said that the party's parlimentarians opposed the bill and ensured that it was not passed.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill that Tejashwi Yadav referred to was presented by BJP MP KJ Alphons during the ongoing Winter Session. The private member's bill proposes that the word socialist in the preamble be replaced with equitable.
Mr Alphons argues that there are political connotations of the term 'socialist'. In the bill, he also argues that the word carries a historical baggage and is not acceptable to a large section of India.
Tweeting a video of the parliament proceedings when the bill was being presented, Mr Yadav said, "The BJP government attempted to remove the word socialist from the Preamble, which is regarded as the soul of the Indian Constitution."
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh had on Friday initially allowed the introduction of the bill, but later reserved his decision on it after protests by RJD MP Manoj Jha and MDMK's Vaiko.