ABC News has publicly corrected a video featuring Avani Dias that falsely claimed India’s constitution originally contained the words “secular socialist.”
In a complaint by advocacy group Hindu Human Rights it was pointed out that “in ‘The story behind India’s Narendra Modi’ between 9.19-9.37, an inaccurate statement is made that India’s original 1947 Constitution contained the word ‘secular’. The word secular was inserted by Indira Gandhi during her famous ‘emergency’ ‘42nd amendment’.”
“This is a breach of editorial policy point 2: accuracy. Do issue a correction to include the full context of the emergency at the time of the insertion as the script appears to obscure the historic autocratic practices of Congress.”
In response to number of complaints by concerned members of the Indian-Australian community, ABC News posted on the ABC’s Corrections and Clarifications page:
“A video documentary profile of Narendra Modi, originally broadcast on June 5, incorrectly implied that India’s original constitution included the word ‘secular’”
“While the Supreme Court of India affirmed during the 1960s that secularism is a basic feature of India’s 1950 constitution, the word was inserted in a constitutional amendment in 1976, changing the description of India from “sovereign, democratic republic” to “sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic,” the statement further adds.
The false claim was made in a video titled ‘The story behind India’s Narendra Modi’ with the objective to portray that India’s secularism was somehow in danger under the leadership of PM Modi.
At about 9:19 minutes into the video, Avani Dias alleged, “Just so you’re across it, when India was founded in 1947 after it got independence from the British, its constitution was written to say India is a secular country, which means it has to be neutral and open to all religions.”
“The word secular is right there on page 33 in capital letters,” she further claimed.
A member of the Indian-Australian community told The Australia Today, that it is good to see ABC News taking some initiative to correct the misinformation about India’s constitution.
“Accurate representation of historical facts is crucial for fostering understanding and respect between cultures. This correction helps ensure that viewers are informed correctly about India’s constitutional history and its commitment to secularism, which is a fundamental aspect of our national identity.”
Earlier in April 2022, Avani Dias allegedly spread disinformation about the CAA. Then prominent Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul and columnist Abhijit Iyer Mitra corrected her yet Dias persisted with her inaccurate claims until she quietly deleted her grossly misinformed tweet.
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