NEW DELHI: Invoking Dr BR Ambedkar, the chairman of the Constitution’s drafting committee, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said, India’s Independence “will be put in jeopardy a second time”, if parties placed creed above collective wellbeing the country.
Addressing an event at the Central Hall of the old Parliament building to mark the beginning of yearlong celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution, the Vice President also cautioned parliamentarians that disturbance as a strategy threatened democratic institutions.
He also added that it was time to restore the “sanctity of our democratic temples through constructive dialogue, debate and meaningful discussion to serve our people effectively”.
The Constitution’s opening words, “We the People of India”, carry deep meaning, establishing citizens as the ultimate authority, with Parliament serving as their voice, Dhankhar noted.
“In contemporaneous times, with decorum and discipline cliff-hanging in parliamentary discourse,” Dhankhar said there was a need to resolve by reiterating the pristine glory of the Constituent Assembly’s “embellished functioning”.
Noting that the Constitution ingeniously established democracy’s three pillars - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, each having specific roles, Dhankhar said, “Democracy is best nurtured with its constitutional institutions being in sync, tandem and togetherness, adhering to their jurisdictional areas.”
In the functioning of these organs of the state, domain exclusivity “is quintessence to making optimal contributions in steering Bharat toward unprecedented heights of prosperity and equity”, he said, adding: “Evolution of a structured interactive mechanism amongst those at the helm of these institutions would bring greater convergence in serving the nation.”
Dhankhar said, “Our Constitution assures fundamental rights and ordains fundamental duties. These define informed citizenship, reflecting Dr Ambedkar's caution that internal conflicts, more than external threats, endanger democracy.”
He said it was time to fully commit to “our fundamental duties - protecting national sovereignty, fostering unity, prioritising national interests, and safeguarding our environment”.
Dhankhar said, “We must always put our nation first. We need to be on guard as never before” and these commitments “were crucial for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat at 2047- a nation exemplifying progress and inclusion.
Taking a cue from Ambedkar’s last address in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Dhankhar said, “What perturbs me greatly is the fact that not only India has once before lost her independence but she lost it by the infidelity and treachery of some of her own people. Will history repeat itself?”
“It is this thought which fills me with anxiety. This anxiety is deepened by the realisation of the fact that, in addition to our old enemies in the form of castes and creeds, we are going to have many political parties with diverse and opposing political creeds. Will Indians place the country above their creed or will they place their creed above the country?” he said, citing Ambedkar’s address.
Dhankhar concluded his speech with an appeal to heed the “wise counsel” emanating from the father of the Indian Constitution.