Amid House deadlock, V-P: Disturbance, disruption weaponised to taint temples of democracy

#WATCH | Delhi: Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar says, “…Democracy is about dialogue, discussion, deliberation and debate to secure the public good. Surely, Democracy cannot be disturbance & disruption…I am pained and anguished to indicate to you that disruption and… pic.twitter.com/ud4V6DcJaY

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2023

“There can be no alibi for not making Parliament functional every second. People of this country are paying a huge price for it. But I am not on the financial implication of it, I am on the larger issue. When there is disruption in Parliament on a particular day, there can’t be a Question Hour.”

“Question Hour is a mechanism to generate accountability and transparency in governance. The government is obligated to respond to every question and to the supplementaries that are placed. This goes to enormous benefit of governance. Everyone is on track. Not having Question Hour can never be rationalised when you think in terms of democratic values and good governance,” he said.

Underlining that disagreement and dissent are a natural part of the democratic process, he, however, said that “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.

Referring to some foreign universities and flagging “anti-India” narratives, he said, “This is a great university, it’s on the rise. I would, therefore, invite your attention, that in similar theatres outside this country, they have become breeding grounds to set afoot anti-India narratives on untenable grounds. In the process, they use our students, our faculty members. This cannot be allowed.”

“I am not saying you be blind in approving every governmental action, be discreet, be judgemental, be inquisitive, focus on objectivity and then deal with such situations,” he said.

“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 a 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 said.

Dhankar also hit out at what he called “stakeholders of corruption” who “have converged into a group … They are marshalling all forces to find cover and escape.”

He also said “street demonstrations to challenge rule of law is not a hallmark of good governance and democracy”.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, congratulating students who received degrees and medals, said educational institutions like Jamia Millia Islamia will play a leading role in providing intellectual leadership during the Amrit Kaal.

“Today, when the whole world is looking at India and its system, I hope that JMI will produce global humans as per the requirements of the National Education Policy that will ultimately reduce the inequality between the western world and the global south,” Pradhan said.

In her address, JMI Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar said she had plans to further strengthen the ‘Brand Jamia’. She said the university was exploring the possibility of opening overseas campuses in the Middle-East and other countries.