Development, nationalism have to be viewed from prism of Preamble: VP

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Development, nationalism, security, welfare of the people and affirmative government schemes have to be viewed only from the "one prism" of the Preamble of the Constitution, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday.

In his address at an event here to mark the 7th Defence Estate Day, he also referred to his position on the dais, where he was flanked by the director general of the Defence Estate on his right and the secretary of ex-servicemen welfare department on his left.

"When I occupied the central seat here (dais), I was reminded of my position as chairman of Rajya Sabha. When I sit in the chair (in Rajya Sabha), on my right is the government, on the left is the opposition", he said.

Here, on the right, is DG, Defence Estate, "I am sure, I have no problem with him" and "fortunately for me, on my left" is the secretary, department of ex-servicemen welfare, "constructive, directional, motivational, always helpful", the VP said in an apparent reference to the opposition.

"I carry this message to the Upper House of Parliament today where we begin debate on the Constitution, as we enter the last quarter of the century of adoption of India's Constitution on November 26, 1949," Dhankhar said.

The Vice President said being at the event, he was "indeed indebted" to people for having ensured his day began with "hope and optimism".

"We are in a nation that is full of hope and possibility.A nation with potential. A nation that is on the rise, a nation that is unstoppable. The rise has been seen in every facet of the governance, be it sea, land, sky or space," he asserted.

"I will say, 'Yahi samay, sahi samay hai' (this time is the right time), though people may read politics into it. And, here I can appeal to all of you, development, nationalism, security, welfare of the people at large, affirmative government schemes, have to viewed only from one prism, and that is from the prism of the Preamble of our Constitution," Dhankhar said.

Society needs to appreciate it, the Vice President said.

"Who else will take pride in the nation, if not us. But, what an irony on occasions, when a small category of people choose otherwise and I would say out of ignorance. But, one thing is for sure, our trajectory is incremental", he said and cited the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission.

In his address, Dhankhar also suggested that defence estates must "evolve" beyond conventional assets, these have to develop into "self-sustaining ecosystem" and enhance military readiness, community welfare, nutritional security.

"There can be no greater occasion to convert these areas into wellness centres," he said and even suggested the idea of herbal gardens.

In the path towards 'Viksit Bharat at 2047', precision land management coupled with productive utilisation stand paramount. "And, I therefore appeal to you -- optimal utilisation of your land bank, which has to be holistic and innovative," the VP said.

In his address, Dhankhar also spoke of climate change.

'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign has become a 'jan andolan' (people's movement), he said, and also suggested fostering collaboration with agencies such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which he felt could "set a global benchmark".

On dispute resolution related to defence estate, he said, "like disease, where more than cure we should take care of prevention and precaution, for dispute also we should ensure it is settled without outside intervention".

The VP said, "Without going into details, there has to be a larger focus on transparency and accountability."  "Whenever there are issues of development, which are beyond your estate, and need your sanction, that must be structured, that must be arithmetic," he added.