NEW DELHI: Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on Thursday asserted that democracy in India did not begin with the Constitution coming into force; rather, it has existed since time immemorial.
“In India, democracy did not start with our Constitution coming into force or us getting independence from foreign rule. We have been a democratic nation in spirit for thousands of years. And this expression and dialogue, complementary mechanism—‘Abhivyakti, Vaad Vivaad’—has been known in Vedic culture as ‘Anant-Vaad’.”
The Vice-President also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visionary leadership under which the nation is reaching new heights in every field of development and power.
“Our Prime Minister has exemplified in action Kautilya’s philosophy. Kautilya’s thought process is a treatise in governance, virtually encyclopaedic for every facet of governance—statecraft, security, role of the king, now those elected,” Dhankhar said.
Quoting a saying of Kautilya, the Vice-President said, “A neighbouring state is an enemy, and enemy's enemy is a friend.’ Which country knows it better than Bharat? We always believe in global peace, global fraternity, and global welfare.”
Interacting with the Kautilya Fellows from the India Foundation, the Vice-President praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership and determination for the nation’s development and strength.
He said, “Our Prime Minister, a great visionary, believes in big scale. The PM believes in massive transformation. And after a decade of governance, the results are written on the wall. It is after a long gap of several decades that we have a Prime Minister for the third term. And that is making all the difference”.
Quoting once again from Kautilya’s teachings, the Vice-President added, “Democracy has to be participatory; development equally has to be participatory. He laid great emphasis on individuals contributing to national welfare. A nation is defined by decorum, discipline — that is individualistic in nature”.
Highlighting how these Kautilyan principles are echoed in modern governance, Dhankhar stated, “This nation has an administration which is innovative. In the country, we had some districts that were lagging behind. Bureaucrats did not venture into those areas. Prime Minister Modi created a nomenclature for those districts: ‘Aspirational Districts’. And now, those ‘Aspirational Districts’ have turned out to be lead districts in development”.
Dhankhar also referenced the Prime Minister’s initiatives regarding Smart Cities and the progress made under this scheme.
Reflecting on the foundational principles of power and governance, the Vice-President remarked, “Power is defined by limitations. Democracy is nurtured when we are ever mindful of the limitations of power. If you go deep into Kautilya’s philosophy, you will find all this converges only to one essence, nectar of governance—welfare of the people”.
Quoting once more from the “Arthashastra”, Dhankhar said, “Kautilya declared, ‘The happiness of the king lies in the happiness of his people.’ If you look at the constitutions of any country that is democratic, you will find this philosophy is the underlying spirit and essence of democratic governance and democratic values.”
Touching upon India’s civilizational ethos, the Vice-President noted, “Democracy is nurtured best when expression and dialogue complement each other. That distinguishes democracy from any other form of governance.”