VP Dhankhar condemns 'Bangladesh can happen in India' remarks

Taking strong exception to some remarks by a few Congress leaders comparing the situation in Bangladesh with India, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our country is deeply concerning.

"How can a citizen of this country having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service takes no time in saying that what happened in the neighbourhood will happen in India," Dhankhar said while addressing the legal fraternity in Jodhpur at a platinum jubilee function of the Rajasthan high court.

"Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat, is deeply concerning," he said.

Though Dhankhar did not name anyone, he was apparently referring to the recent remarks by senior Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Mani Shankar Aiyar.

At a recent event, Khurshid had said what is happening in Bangladesh can happen in the country though "everything may look normal on the surface".

Aiyar had compared the situation in Bangladesh with that of India.

Dhankhar also said anti-national forces are using the "platforms of our constitutional institutions to hide or legitimise their actions".

He asserted that national interest cannot be calibrated. "It is the supreme precedence, the only precedence, and we are committed to nation being first, before anything else."

The Rajya Sabha Chairman also said that legislature and Parliament cannot script judgements, similarly judiciary cannot legislate or impart directives that are beyond legislation.

"The role of all institutions are well delineated in the Constitution... it will be dangerous if there is incursion in the domain of one constitutional constitution by the other," he said.

Posing a question to the audience, he asked if these institutions (Legislature/ Executive/Judiciary) are working in their areas or are they in expansion mode to operate in the area of other.

Emphasising the strength of all the three pillar institutions of the country, Dhankhar said their vulnerability would imperial our democracy and derail our development trajectory.

"Our institutions are being exploited by these forces to set a narrative not only anti-national but also aimed at derailing our democracy. So let's work together with the nation-first sentiments. Work to insulate our institution from nefarious designs for our democracy and if they manage to make some inroads, don't be silent, neutralise them", he appealed.

"The forces inimical to Bharat are trying impede our growth and are operating at multiple levels tainting, tarnishing, targeting and diminishing our constitutional institutions," he said warning that falling prey to them will have dangerous consequences.

Terming the Emergency as the darkest period since independence, he said it was not worth forgetting and every Indian, specially young generation, should know about it.

"I implore each one of you to never forget the price of freedom and this vigilance must be dictated by your in-depth knowledge of the suffering of lakhs of people in this country during the draconian period of Emergency imposed by an individual," he said.

"During Emergency, liberty was held to ransom by one individual. Those arrested without any fault were barred from seeking any judicial help. The apex court overturned the verdicts of nine high courts, that had ruled in favour of the victims," he added.

Taking about the importance of judiciary, the vice president said that India takes pride in nurturing its robust judiciary that has always contributed to sustaining the democratic values of the country and development of the nation.

"Judicial system of a nation and its functionality define its democratic vibrancy. An independent justice system is essential to any shapes of governments as it is the lifeline of life as such," he said.