New Delhi: The Delhi government today faced embarrassment 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 inquiry.
The Arvind Kerjriwal-led government brought out the advertisements in English newspapers today 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.
"Delhi government apologises for an error of missing words in its advertisement published in the English newspapers on the Constitution Day celebrations on Thursday.
"The words, socialist and secular, are erroneously missing from the text published in the English advertisement.
The chief minister has taken a stern view of the matter and directed the Director of Information and Publicity to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within four days," the government said in a statement.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also admitted the gaffe and emphasised that sanctity of "each word" written in the Indian Constitution need to be preserved.
"It was not an oversight, it was a big mistake. The government has ordered inquiry and have sought report within four days. Whoever committed the mistake won't be spared," he said.
Sisodia said that Chief Minister Kejriwal had phoned him early in the morning after the glaring error came into notice.
The government will have to fix responsibility, he said, at an event to mark the anniversary of the Constitution Day, held by the Department of SC/ST/OBC and Minorities Welfare.
Kejriwal could not attent 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 tricolour.
The government further said that the Director (of Information and Publicity) has been asked to ascertain how such important components of the Preamble of the Constitution
went missing from the text.
"The inquiry will focus on whether some mischief was involved in this matter," the statement added. Addressing the gathering of students, academics and people from various Dalit organistions at the event, Sisodia said that the AAP government would work solely based on the principles on which the Constitution was framed.
He wondered what explains that the recent burning of the house of a Dalit family in Haryana's Sunped village in October which led to the death of two minors. "A lot of ground needs to covered."
"Events like this should not be restricted to celebrating by cutting cakes. We rather should take stock of how much we have progressed towards achieving the ideals of the
Constitution and how much needs to be covered," he said.
Earlier, Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar presented Sisodia with a cake to celebrate the occasion of Constitution Day, "which also happens to be Aam Aadmi Party's third founding anniversary."
Kumar urged Sisodia to rename the Civil Lines Metro Station after Dr B R Ambedkar and to write to the Centre to pursue in the direction of getting a Nobel Prize in the name of the architect of the Constitution.
"AAP has exalted the status of Dalits by having a broom as its symbol. It is for the first time that such an event is being organised to celebrate the adoption of the Constitution," he said.
