Legislators should emulate behaviour of Constituent Assembly members: VP Dhankhar

Ahead of the Winter session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday urged legislators to emulate the behaviour of members of the Constituent Assembly, which witnessed ''hardly any disruptions'' during its three-year tenure.

Delivering the Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture - 2023 at the Akashvani Rang Bhawan here, Vice President Dhankhar said it is a matter of concern for everyone when a knowledgeable and intelligent person wants to mislead the common people because they are not aware of things with the aim to gain some political advantage.

He added that such an action was a ''despicable act''.

''Those who seek to monetize those uninformed minds, who had a good role in governance at one point of time, if this is to exploit ignorance of the people, to generate their political equity, it is shameful,'' he said.

''Take the case of yesterday, the growth of our economy in the last quarter - 7.6 per cent, was being told to the whole world, but what did a knowledgeable person say about this growth earlier,'' Dhankhar said.

When the nation is on the rise and the rise is unstoppable, there are bound to be challenges within and without, he said.

''I would request all of you, this type of conspiracy, this type of misdeeds, they should be exposed. The communication system has a huge contribution in this and I believe that every Indian will have unwavering faith in Indianness, will be a true citizen of India, will always keep the interest of India supreme and whoever tries to tarnish the dignity of India will be punished,'' Dhankhar said.

''We will completely fail that effort, whether at home or abroad,'' he said.

In his address on 'Rise of India as an Economic Powerhouse', the Vice President highlighted the importance of nurturing economic nationalism to accelerate India's progress.

Dhankhar also said a big change has come about in the country that began in 2014.

''I am not indicating towards politics. But in a large country like India, if there is political stability, then people's talents march forward in the right direction. After three decades, in 2014, that occasion came when India got a strong one-party government,'' Dhankhar said.

''And what was the result? India-made UPI has been adopted by many countries, India is setting new standards globally that is recognised by the world, India is the setter of agenda. The world is looking at us as to what is our point of view on an issue,'' he said.

Hailing Rajendra Prasad for his three years as president of the Constituent Assembly, Dhankhar said he ran the House in a manner such that every member could showcase their talents to the fullest.

''There were problems, divisions and different points of view but, for three years, you (India's first president Rajendra Prasad) ran the House in a manner that we could get an amazing Constitution. There was no disruption in the three years of the Constituent Assembly, there was a positive debate. There was hardly any disruption and consensus was the basis,'' the Vice President said.

''From this stage, taking inspiration from him, I urge all the members of the legislature that they should abide by the behaviour that was witnessed in the Constituent Assembly. This would be beneficial to our country and the world,'' he said.

The Constituent Assembly was established to draft a Constitution for India. It met for the first time in New Delhi on December 9, 1946, and its last session was held on January 24, 1950.

Dhankhar's remarks come ahead of the Winter session of Parliament that begins on Monday. During its 15 sittings till December 22, it is expected to consider key draft legislations, including three bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws.

Dhankhar said the Indian economy was in ''very concerning situation'' about a decade ago and was considered part of the ''fragile five''.

''India, where one-sixth of the world's population lives, was a burden on the global economy. Countries were worried how will India come out of the fragile five. This is just a matter of one decade ago. Now, the situation is such that we have surpassed the UK and France to become the fifth largest economy,'' the Vice President said.

This has happened due to the hardwork of 140 crore Indians and efficient leadership. By the end of this decade, till 2030, India will achieve a new milestone by surpassing Germany and Japan to become the third largest economy, he said.

Asserting the importance of nurturing economic nationalism to accelerate India's progress, Dhabkhar questioned the use of foreign exchange for importing non-essential items.

The Vice President appealed to trade, industry and business to uphold economic nationalism, and stressed the need to sensitise every citizen towards the same.

Cautioning that economic nationalism must not be compromised for fiscal gain, he said, ''Our economy will get a quantum jump when we subscribe to this enlightened idea.'' Observing the challenge of climate change that threatens all humanity, the Vice President called for the optimum utilisation of natural resources and said one's fiscal power should not determine the usage of such resources as water, petroleum, electricity.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Dhankhar reminded the audience that ''the earth has enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed''.

Underlining the significance of All India Radio as a platform for taking critical messages to all corners of the country, the Vice President stressed the role played by the Prime Minister's 'Mann Ki Baat' in giving the medium of radio a new recognition.

He also emphasised on the importance of radio as a medium for neutralising false, orchestrated narratives and ensuring that authentic information reaches citizens.

''Because of my position I am not a stakeholder in politics but I am proud citizen of Bharat. I will not hesitate to take pride in its phenomenal rise if I appreciate the leadership of the Prime Minister, if I appreciate the executive of the country, I do it because I don't want to set my eyes away from ground reality that they have performed outstandingly,'' he said.

India's growing economy has contributed to making all this possible, he said.

''World leaders told me that no one will be able to organize an event in the future like India organised the G20,'' he said.

Due to the thinking of the Prime Minister, the African Union is a permanent member of G20 and it cannot be estimated how much equality this has created in the world, Dhankhar said.

There is an ecosystem now in place where every young mind can unleash his or her energy; fully exploit potential and talent; live dreams and aspirations they have, he said.

''India was a Vishwa Guru, this is history, India is now walking on the path of being Vishwa Guru, it is a reality that India will become a Vishwa Guru in 2047. This is our thinking, definitely the efforts of you people will be meaningful with the efforts of the youth,'' Dhankhar said.

Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra, CEO of Prasar Bharati Gaurav Dwivedi; Principal Director General, All India Radio, Vasudha Gupta, among others, were present on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)