The Arvind Kejriwal-led Government in the Capital faced embarrassment on Thursday as the words “socialist” and “secular” were missing from the Preamble text in its print advertisements on the Constitution Day, prompting the AAP dispensation to admit it was a “big mistake” and order an enquiry.
The AAP Government brought out the advertisements in English newspapers on Thursday to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly of India on November 26, 1949. However, in the text of the Preamble appearing in it, the two words were missing.
The Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the CM called him early morning and questioned the mistake in the text of the advertisement on print English newspaper. He said while the Hindi newspaper produced the text of the Preamble correctly, it was “strange and serious” to see the mistake happened in English newspapers. “It was not an oversight, it was a big mistake. The Government has ordered enquiry and sought report within four days. Whoever committed the mistake won’t be spared,” he said while speaking on the occasion of celebrations of the Constitution Day which coincidently is also the founding day of AAP.
Earlier, the Delhi Government had issued a press statement tendering apologies for an error of missing words in its advertisement published in the English newspapers on the Constitution Day celebrations on Wednesday.
“The words, socialist and secular, are erroneously missing from the text published in the English advertisement. The CM has taken a stern view of the matter and directed the Director of Information and Publicity to conduct an enquiry and submit a report within four days,” Sisodia said while addressing people on the Constitution Day celebrations organised by the Department for Welfare of SC/ST/OBC/Minorities.
Kejriwal could not attend the event due to ill-health.
“When mistakes are committed responsibility needs to be fixed as well. We will have to ensure that we fight for the sanctity of each word and principles of the constitution just like we treat the tricolor,” Sisodia who is also the Minister for Education stressed.
Also, the Government issued a statement stating that the Director has been asked to ascertain how such important components of the Preamble of the Constitution went missing from the text. Officials of Delhi Government said advertisement was issued by the SC/ST/OBC department and DIP has only forwarded it to advertisement agency. “Content of the advertisement was approved by the SC/ST/OBC department. DIP has no role in it,” said officials.