In swipe at Rahul, Dhankhar say no accolades for those who malign India's institutions

Stepping up his attack on Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said there could be no accolades for a person who maligned India’s institutions in and outside the country.

Dhankhar’s oblique attack on the Congress leader came days after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge raised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the issue of “extremely objectionable” and violent statements by ruling alliance members targeting Gandhi and urged him to discipline his leaders.

In his letter to Modi, the Congress chief asserted that strict legal action should be taken against those making such statements so that Indian politics could be prevented from degenerating.

Addressing the Sansad TV@3 Conclave, the Rajya Sabha chairperson said, “Someone talking, yes our leader is being maligned. Let us look at institutions. Can we have accolades for one who is maligning in and outside the country? Our sacred institutions, running down our growth. Can we overlook it?” He said there could not be a “wrong picture” of India painted outside, in particular.

“Every Indian, every Bharatiya who goes outside this country is an ambassador of this nation. He has to have nothing in his heart except 100 per cent commitment for the nation, nationalism,” Dhankhar said.

The vice-president opined that in the present ecosystem, everyone had the opportunity to flex muscles, exploit potential, realise talent and fructify dreams.

“We have narratives that turn Nelson’s eye to these positive developments. They look at only the glass as empty, though it may be 95 per cent full,” he said.

He also hit out at “someone in the US” floating a narrative that only the upper class were admitted in IITs and IIMs.

“I have no doubt in using an expression, they are in a fool’s paradise. They have forgotten India has changed. The privileged pedigree in this country is not there now. Everyone is accountable to the rule of law,” he asserted.

Referring to the creation of Sansad TV, Dhankhar said there was no occasion to have two TVs — Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — because the Indian Constitution defined Parliament as one.

In the course of his address, he also urged the media to be a “little bold”. “We have to address issues not with individuals on the radar. How can we have individual- centric approach.” The most vibrant democracy, he felt, wanted the media to be in pace with the development.

“We have become chronic critics, we have developed an indigestible mechanism that, yes, this is being done in this regime. Therefore, it has to be criticised. Criticism and criticism but criticism as a part of policy is antithetical to democratic values,” he opined.

He also asked Sansad TV to focus on Constitution Day. “Second, Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, we need to project it massively every year. Our people have to be sensitised.” Constitution Day is celebrated on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly. Till a few years ago, the day was observed as Law Day.

Earlier this year, the government announced that Samvidhan Hatya Divas would be observed to mark the imposition of the Emergency on June 25, 1975.