VISAKHAPATNAM: Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday there was a growing intolerance among politicians in accepting people’s mandate.
He said in a democracy, everyone has the right to differ, discuss and debate and added nowadays leaders are judged based on caste, community and criminal lines.
After the release of a book titled A Child of Destiny-an Autobiography written by Chancellor Koneru Ramakrishna Rao at the GITAM Deemed to be University campus here, Naidu said the book is worth reading as Ramakrishna Rao’s life story is a tale of inspiration for the younger generation. He recalled his memories with the author and Vizag.
The Vice-President said, “Mother tongue is like eyes and foreign languages are like spectacles. One can use spectacles only if they have eyes. Similarly, though English is a need, one should have a strong foundation in their mother tongue and then proceed to learn other languages. Learning many languages will certainly help in the growth of an individual, but it is important one should not ignore his or her mother tongue,” he said.
The Vice-President assured the people that the recession affect will be temporary in India. “India is a country which believes in secularism. It never did or never will incline towards expansion and colonialism. However, educators of the country should focus on providing value education. New trends should be implemented while protecting Indian culture. Obstruction or misuse of any law or Act of the country will not assist in welfare of the country.”
The Vice-President advised the students to follow in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, be socially responsible and work for the country’s development.
GITAM Deemed to be University M Sri Bharat expressed his gratitude to the Vice-President and said education is an agent of change and GITAM educational institutions will continue to provide better education to people to transform the society.