Neighbour’s design to destabilise India through terror will not be tolerated; Vice President
A day after the ghastly terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu & Kashmir, the Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has asserted that the efforts of the neighbouring country to destabilise India can no longer be tolerated. He said “It is unfortunate that our neighbour has been aiding, abetting, funding and training terrorist groups. This attempt to destabilise and impede out progress can no longer be tolerated. We must stand united in our resolve to make every inch of our motherland a safer place.”
At the release of the book “Selected Speeches” of Vice President, Shri Naidu by the former President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, hundreds of participants mourned the loss of lives of CRPF soldiers in the Pulwama terror attack by observing silence.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Venkaiah Naidu spoke at length on the issues confronting the country and various institutions and the need for a united effort to build a good future for the people based on the past and effectively handling the complexities of the present.
Shri Naidu stressed that “Nationalism is all about asserting that ‘I am Indian first’. It is an overarching umbrella under which all our immediate identities are subsumed to form a larger collective. Unfortunately, certain misinformed individuals and organisations are fomenting trouble, and creating divisions where none existed before.” Nationalism implies sharing a common past, a common present and a common future and in our country that has shown the power of peaceful coexistence and non-violence to the world, the acts of bigotry and narrow sectarianism should be strongly condemn.
Referring to the Polls soon to be held for Lok Sabha and some State Assemblies, Shri Naidu said “I would like to see more men and women being elected as legislators and parliamentarians with national outlook and having in them the four virtues of Character, Calibre, Capacity and Conduct” and not to allow the political system to be vitiated by Cash, Caste, Community and Criminality. He urged the people to demand a report card from the public representatives and make a critical assessment of their effectiveness at the time of voting in the elections.
Conveying anguish over chronic disruptions in legislatures, Shri Naidu stated “Dysfunctional legislatures strengthen the demand for ‘recall of legislators’. I am afraid we are close to this stage if things do not change”. Stating that our legislatures instead of becoming effective forums of debate, are being reduced to ‘disruptive platforms’, Shri Naidu said “Against the backdrop of worrisome functioning of our Parliament and State Legislatures, this disruptive, dysfunctional tendency needs to be made an election issue”.
The Vice President noted that disrupting the functioning of legislatures is a clear negation of the vision of the makers of the Constitution, an affront to the spirit of the Constitution, apathy towards the hopes and aspirations of the people and utter disregard for people’s mandate. “It is a matter of concern that political discourse is reaching a new low in recent years. We should reverse this trend at the earliest” Shri Naidu said.
Referring to the just concluded Budget Session, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha Shri Naidu said that it was a matter of concern that despite the political slugfest over farm sector distress, the Members of Rajya Sabha and the parties did not find it necessary to discuss the direct income assistance to farmers announced in the interim Budget. He also noted that the Motion of Thanks to the President should have been adopted after detailed discussion. He particularly expressed concern over some leaders in Rajya Sabha telling him in the daily morning meetings that normal functioning of the House for the day cannot be allowed under instructions further to cropping up of some issue or the other instead of raising the same in the House.
Referring to Judiciary, the Vice President said it is disturbing to note the heavy pendency of cases and 67% of prisoners being under trials. He urged the Judiciary to play a constructive role in overcoming the formidable challenges to socio-economic development of the country and the public trust in Judiciary should not be allowed to be eroded.
Shri Naidu urged the MEDIA to function as Medium of Empowerment for Development through Informed Actions and to correlate the text with the context for informed communication to the readers and viewers.
Shri Naidu informed the gathering that since assuming the office of the Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha, he has extensively interacted with various stakeholders in an earnest endeavour to stir their conscience to introspect and lend their might to realise the quest of our nation to reach new horizons, by invoking the nation’s past and reflecting on the present as the young India seeks to define and realise its future. He further said this ‘Connect India Mission’ has convinced him that change is possible if the countrymen can act united.
The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports and Information & Broadcasting (I/C), Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh, the Secretary to the Vice President, Dr. I.V. Subba Rao, the Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Srhi Amit Khare and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.