Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 27 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said he felt deeply honoured to have been described as a 'cow devotee' by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand, calling it a significant spiritual recognition and a matter of collective pride.

Speaking about a past event organised by the Shankaracharya in Mira Bhayander during his tenure as Chief Minister, Shinde recalled, 'When I was the Chief Minister, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand had organised an event in Mira Bhayander... He had said that my name would be written in their scriptures as a cow devotee, and this is a matter of great fortune for me.'

Shinde described Shankaracharya's remark as a 'blessing' and said such words from a spiritual leader of high stature carried great significance. 'This is not only my pride but also the pride of the entire Maharashtra,' he added.

Meanwhile, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj supported the remarks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who demanded reconsideration of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj said that the word secular does not align with the nature of the Indian Constitution.

He said, 'The word secular was not there in the Constitution originally, it was added later. That is why the word 'dharmnirpeksh' (secular) does not align with the nature of the Indian Constitution, and this issue is repeatedly raised. Dharma means to think about right and wrong and to adopt the right and to reject the wrong. To become secular means that we have nothing to do with right or wrong. This cannot happen in anyone's life. So this word is also not right...'

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on June 27 came down heavily on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying that it doesn't want the Constitution but the Manusmriti.

Intensifying his attack, Gandhi said that RSS intended to violate the rights of the marginalised and the poor while enslaving them. 'The mask of RSS has come off again,' he added.

'RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution. They want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda,' the Congress leader posed on X.

Earlier on June 26, addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale remarked that during the Emergency, terms like 'Socialism' and 'Secularism' were forcibly inserted into the Constitution, a move that needs to be reconsidered today. (ANI)