Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday made a strong pitch for the inclusion of the ideal of ahimsa or non-violence in the preamble of the Constitution.

Naveen made the proposal at the meeting of chief ministers called at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

"I believe the greatest tribute India could pay Gandhiji on his 150th anniversary is to include the uniquely Indian ideal of ahimsa or non-violence in the preamble of the Constitution," said Naveen.

The chief minister said the most important aspect of the Mahatma's doctrine of non-violence was that poverty and social injustice were the worst kind of violence. "As Gandhi ji said that as long as poverty exists freedom is only a wooden log. To remove poverty is the greatest task faced by any government. This cannot be achieved without non-violence," he said.

Emphasising the importance of non-violence, the chief minister highlighted its role in ensuring progress. "Progress requires peace. Progress requires the defeat of those who divide society on the basis of class, caste or religion," said Naveen, adding that including the ideal of non-violence in the Constitution would ensure that future generations of not just Indians but people around the world would remember the truth of this principle for ever.

If the suggestion of the chief minister is accepted, it will be the first occasion after the 42nd amendment to the Constitution that new words will be added to the preamble. The 42nd amendment had changed the description of India from a "sovereign democratic republic" to a "sovereign, socialist secular democratic republic". It had also changed the words "unity of the nation" to "unity and integrity of the nation" in the preamble.