India cannot have millions of illegal migrants, says Vice President

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said the country cannot have millions of illegal migrants and allow the electoral politics to be disturbed by demographic dislocations, as he appealed to the youth to neutralise anti-national narratives.

Dhankhar, also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, voiced concerns over frequent disruptions in Parliament.

Speaking at the World Forum of Accountants (WOFA) conference in the national capital, he said the youth should be concerned about the existential challenges.

"Our nation cannot afford to have millions of illegal migrants... We cannot allow our electoral politics to be disturbed by demographic dislocations and earthquakes. These are things that will matter for you because these are the challenges for which you have to collectively finally answer," he said.

Without elaborating further, Dhankhar said, "I have no doubt... kaha jaatha hai, samajdhar ko eshaara kafi hai (it is said that for informed people, signal is enough)".

Expressing concerns that some people and entities are not feeling good with the country's development journey, the Vice President also said there is a trend to generate sensation and narratives.

"Narratives mein bharatiyata ko bhool jaate hai, rashtravaad ko bhool jaate hai, rashtrahith ko bhool jaate hai (In the narratives, nation, nationalism, national interest are forgotten)," he said.

Appealing to the youth, he said that power is in their hands to "neutralise these anti-national narratives, to defeat those forces that are inimical to India".

At the conference, organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Vice President stressed that there is a need to imbibe the spirit of economic nationalism as such an approach will be beneficial for the economy.

Also, Indian chartered accountants and chartered accountant firms should occupy the global space, he added.