The Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, today said, “For any democracy, every citizen has a pivotal role. I find it inconceivably intriguing that some have recently reflected that constitutional offices can be ceremonial or ornamental. Nothing can be far distanced from a wrong understanding of the role of everyone in this country, constitutional functionary or a citizen. According to me, a citizen is supreme because a nation and democracy are built by citizens. Every one of them has a role. The soul of democracy resides and pulsates in every citizen. Democracy will blossom. Its values will get heightened. When citizen is alert, citizen contributes and what a citizen contributes, there is no substitution of that.”

Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest over ‘Kartavyam’, an event commemorating 75 years of the Indian Constitution at the University of Delhi today, the Vice-President and ex-officio Chancellor of the University of Delhi, stated, “There is no visualisation in the constitution of any authority above parliament. Parliament is supreme and that being the situation. Let me tell you, it is as supreme as every individual in the country. Part of ‘We the People’ is an atom in democracy and that atom has atomic power. That atomic power is reflected during elections and that is why we are a democratic nation.”

He also added that, “The Constitution is encapsulated—its essence, it’s worth, its nectar—in the Preamble of the Constitution. And what does it say? ‘We, the People of India’, the supreme power is with them. No one is above the people of India. And we, the People of India, under the Constitution, have chosen to reflect their aspirations, their desires, and their will through their public representatives. And they hold the representatives accountable—severely accountable, on occasions—through elections. A Prime Minister who imposed ‘Emergency’ was held accountable in 1977. And therefore, let there be no doubt about it: the Constitution is for the people, and its repository of safeguarding is that of the elected representatives. They are the ultimate masters as to what the Constitution’s content will be.”

Reflecting on the duty of citizens in democracy, the Vice-President said, “Democracy is not only for the government to govern. It is participatory democracy, just not laws, but also culture and ethos. Citizenship demands action, not merely status….Democracy is shaped not by governments, democracy is shaped by individuals. Because individuals bear the responsibility to uphold our symbols, preserve our heritage, defend sovereignty, foster brotherhood….. Government has a role that it [individual] does not become a handicap. Government has a role that it must have affirmative policies but government is like giving me a good stadium, a good football ground. Goals have to be scored by individuals.”

Underlining the significance of quality of discourse in any healthy democracy, the Vice-President said, “If you want to know the health of democracy, like the health of an individual, if you want to analyse how healthy is our democracy, then you will have to find out discourse quality, the kind of discourse we have. Is our discourse moderated? Is our discourse manipulated? Is our discourse controlled by moneybags, by muscle power, by foreign interests, by people working against the interests of this nation? You will have to discern.”

Underlining the significance of freedom of expression, he stated, “We have to understand—democracy thrives through expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti aur samvaad—these are the core mantras of democracy. These are the basic mantras. If your right of expression is throttled or regulated, as was done during the Emergency, democracy nosedives. But if you have the right of expression, and that expression reflects arrogance and ego—where you believe your expression is ultimate, where you refuse to entertain any different point of view, refuse to even look at the other side—that too is not true expression as per our civilization. Because every expression demands respect for dialogue, and respect for the other point of view. You must always be prepared to be challenged. And to challenge is not a physical act—it is a challenge of ideas, a difference in thought: “I disagree with you.” That does not mean “I am disagreeable.” There must always be space for such exchange. Therefore, expression and dialogue are complementary—they together define democracy. If we delve into our civilizational heritage, this was referred to in Vedic times as ‘Anantavad’—the idea of infinite perspectives. There was a tradition of vaad-vivaad—debate and discourse—And this tradition was free of ego. Vaad-vivaad dissolves ego and arrogance. Because if I believe that only I am right and no one else can be right—that arrogance tarnishes not only the individual but also institutions. That is why, for a healthy democracy, expression and dialogue are essential.”

“If you hesitate to speak the right thing, at the right time, to the right group and the right person, you will not only weaken yourself but also deeply hurt those positive forces. Therefore, expression and dialogue are of utmost importance. Nations are not built by industrialists, nations are built by individuals. The power of the individual, as I said an atom. The power is atomic, you have that power. You only have to realise it”, he further added.

Emphasising the role of youth in nation-building, Shri Dhankhar added, “The quality of discourse defines our democracy and in this, I have no doubt, our youth must elevate beyond partisanship to thoughtful deliberation. Our youth cannot afford this critical juncture when Bharat is rising, the rise is unstoppable. We are destined to be a global power. We will be a developed nation. You cannot be tied down to partisan interests; you have to believe only in national interests.”

Shri Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi, Prof. Balaram Pani, Dean Colleges, University of Delhi, Shri Prakash Singh, Director, South Delhi Campus, University of Delhi and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

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JK/RC/SM