NEW DELHI: Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday reiterated that democracy is all about dialogue, discussion, deliberation and debate while labelling disruption and disturbance as antithetical to democratic values. He also expressed his pain and concern over the fact that disturbance has been weaponised in the temples of democracy that should be functional 24x7 to ensure justice to the people at large.
Addressing the centenary year convocation of Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU) at Vigyan Bhawan, he called upon everyone to act to preserve and sustain the essence of democratic values. He underlined that there can be no alibi for not making Parliament functional every second.
Stating that the people of this country are paying a huge price for it, he said, “When there is disruption in Parliament on a particular day, there can not be Question Hour. Question Hour is a mechanism to generate accountability and transparency in governance. The government is obligated to respond to every question. This goes to enormous benefit of the government. Not having question hour can never be rationalised when you think in terms of democratic values and good governance.”
The vice-president underlined that disagreement and dissent are a natural part of democratic process, but “turning disagreement into hostility is no less than a curse for democracy”. Cautioning that “opposition” should not turn into “revenge”, Dhankhar suggested dialogue and discussion as the only way forward.
The vice-presidents remarks come at a time when both Houses of Parliament are facing disruption over the Manipur violence. The opposition did not allow Parliament to function and created ruckus demanding suspension of all listed business.
In Rajya Sabha, where Dhankhar presides as the ex-officio chairperson, opposition members moved suspension notices under Rule 267 on the first two days of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament which commenced on July 20.
Noting that the nation has transformed itself from being among the ‘Fragile Five’ economies to being among the ‘Top Five’ economies in the world today, the vice-president said that with India’s remarkable growth, there are bound to be challenges too. “Your progress can’t be to the liking of everyone. There are pernicious forces with sinister designs to taint, tarnish and demean your institutions and growth story,” he said while exhorting the young minds to take initiatives and neutralise such forces.
Referring to some foreign universities, VP said that they have become breeding grounds to set afloat anti India narrative on untenable grounds. Cautioning that such institutions also use our students and faculty members for their narrow agenda, he asked the students to be inquisitive and focus on objectivity when dealing with such situations.
“It is surprising that those who had the occasion to serve this country in one position or another, the moment they lose their position, they turn Nelson’s eye to the great advancement that our country is making all around. I urge young bright students to neutralise and decimate such an anti-India narrative. Such misinformation can’t be allowed to be traded freely,” he stressed.
Describing transparency and accountability as the main focus area of the present government, Shri Dhankhar said that corruption, middle men and power brokers find no place today. “That being so, stakeholders in corruption have converged into a group. They are marshaling all forces to find cover and escape,” he highlighted while adding that “street demonstrations to challenge rule of law is not a hallmark of good governance and democracy of our nature.”
The VP further said that corruption as antithetical to equitable growth and equal opportunities, and found it soothing to note that “all escape routes of violators of law engaged in corruption have been largely plugged”.
Congratulating all passing out students for entering a new phase in their lives, the vice-president emphasised the need for students to become innovators and entrepreneurs so that our young students emerge as job creators rather than job seekers.
Stating that it is not in national interest to compromise economic nationalism for fiscal gain, Dhankhar called upon the youth to “fully subscribe and immerse themselves in economic nationalism”.
While emphasising on academic achievements, the vice-president also called for linking education to larger societal growth for knowledge to serve its true purpose. “The empowerment of human resources is a vital ingredient in nation building. The youth today have to empower themselves not by political intoxication but through the mechanism of capacity building and personality development,” he added.
Praising the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 for providing greater flexibility and bringing joy of learning, the VP expressed confidence that this visionary policy will catalyse the big change. Noting that in some parts of the country, there is a requirement of adopting this policy, he expressed hope that everyone will be able to reap the benefits of this policy.
Calling every citizen as the trustee of the country's natural resources, the vice-president called for equitable distribution of these resources. “Let’s have a culture that utilisation of natural resources would be optimum, as per your need, not as per your financial capacity,” he added.
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, JMIU vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar, faculty and students were present on the occasion.
