Vice President

Governor's position is an easy punching bag: V-P Dhankhar | Constitution

Preamble of Constitution like parenthood, cannot be changed: V-P Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said the Preamble of the Indian Constitution is like parenthood to children, and it cannot be changed, no matter how hard one may try. "There have been a lot of issues about the preamble to the Constitution. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is something like parenthood to children. Howsoever you may try, you can't change your parenthood. That is not possible," he said. While interacting with students and faculty at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi, he also said that, historically, no country's preamble has ever been changed, but lamented that the Preamble of the Indian Constitution was altered during the Emergency era. "The Preamble of our Constitution was changed during a time when hundreds and thousands of people were behind bars, the darkest period of our democracy--emergency era," he said. His statement comes against the backdrop of the RSS calling for a review of the words 'socialist' and 'secular

Today's political atmosphere not favourable for Indian democracy: Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed concern over the current political scenario in the country, saying today's political atmosphere is not favourable for Indian democracy and social health. Speaking at 'Sneh Milan Samaroh' organised by the Rajasthan Pragatisheel Manch at the Constitution Club in Jaipur, Dhankhar said the intensity and tone of political exchanges today were detrimental to the democratic and social fabric of the nation. The vice president said he does not come under pressure and does not pressure anyone. "The environment and temperature of politics today are neither suitable for our democracy nor in tune with our ancient civilisational values. Political rivals are not enemies. Enemies may exist across borders but there should be none within the country," the vice president said. He called for greater decorum in legislative conduct, cautioning that public disenchantment with the conduct of lawmakers inside legislatures could erode faith in democratic .

VP Dhankhar calls Emergency-era Preamble changes a 'festering wound'

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday asserted the preamble of a constitution is "not changeable" but was changed in India during the Emergency which signals a betrayal of the "wisdom" of the framers of the Constitution. He also said the words inserted in the Preamble in 1976 during the period of Emergency, were a "nasoor" (festering wound) and could cause upheaval. "It is nothing but belittling the civilisational wealth and knowledge of this country for thousands of years. It is a sacrilege of the spirit of Sanatan," the vice president said at a book launch event here. Dhankhar described preamble as a "seed" on which a constitution grows. He also underlined that the preamble of no other constitution has undergone change except that of India. "The Preamble of a constitution is not changeable. But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976," he said noting that the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added. He said it was a trave

India-China friction has not impacted AIIB's functioning, says VP Pandey

Frictions between India and China have not affected the functioning and growth of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), where both countries are the top two investors, the bank's Vice President of Investment Solutions Ajay Bhushan Pandey has said. In a detailed interview with PTI Videos here, Pandey, a former finance secretary and CEO of Aadhaar, sought to dispel the impression that the AIIB was a Chinese bank and said it truly emerged as a multilateral development bank (MDB) with well-established governing structures. According to the bank's official data, China is the largest shareholder of the AIIB with 26.54 per cent voting shares. India is the second-largest shareholder with 7.58 per cent, followed by Russia with 5.9 per cent and Germany with 4.1 per cent. In his nearly hour-long interview, Pandey addressed a range of questions, including whether India-China tensions and the absence of influential countries like the US and Japan impacted the bank. Pandey, who took o

India cannot afford to be divided over languages, says VP Dhankhar

India, an aspirational nation in the world, cannot afford to be divided on the issue of languages, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday and appealed to to the people to consider the future well-being of the country and "get over this storm." Also, he made a strong pitch for implementing the National Education Policy 2020 in letter and spirit, as it was a "game changer" in the education sector that could spur further development of the country. Speaking at the Pondicherry University here, Dhankhar who is the chancellor of the varsity, without naming anyone, lamented that there was opposition to languages. "India is the most aspirational nation in the world as a result of phenomenal development in the last decade," the Vice President said and asked "how can we be divided on languages?" No country in the world was so rich as India when it came to languages. Sanskrit has global importance and this language along with Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, ...

VP Dhankar's concerns on farmers ignored repeatedly, says Congress

The Congress on Thursday cited Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's remarks on farmers to take a swipe at the Modi government, saying he should be listened to seriously by those throwing out slogans and filmi dialogues thinking that theatrics is governance. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said sadly, Dhankhar continues to be ignored when he raises concerns of farmers. Ramesh's remarks came after Dhankhar said Viksit Bharat does not mean the rank of the country's economy and to make it a reality, the income of people needs to increase eightfold. Speaking to reporters after paying homage to former prime minister Charan Singh on his birth anniversary, Dhankhar said, "Today, when we talk about Viksit Bharat, it doesn't mean what the rank of our economy is. To define Viksit Bharat and make it a ground reality, the income of everyone needs to be increased by eight times." "This will happen but the farmers need to be farsighted. Today, our farmers are limite

Can't help economies of nations working against India: VP Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said that people cannot help economies of nations, through import or travel, that are inimical to the interests of India. His remarks came amid trade and tourism boycott of Turkiye and Azerbaijan following their support to Pakistan in the conflict with India after Operation Sindoor. Addressing an event here, the vice president said every individual is empowered to help the nation in security. Trade, business, commerce, and industry in particular can play a pivotal role in security issues, he observed. "Can we afford to empower countries that are inimical to our interests? Time has come when each one of us must deeply think about economic nationalism," he said. Dhankhar said, "We can no longer afford, by travel or import, to improve economies of those countries because of our participation. And those countries, in times of crisis, are positioned against us." He said everything has to be reckoned on the fulcrum of unflinching commitment to

We must phase out old vehicles faster to fight air pollution: VP Dhankhar

The Vice President called on using public transportation, which, he said, is the safest and fastest

JD Vance blends diplomacy, dealmaking and family time in global travels

When JD Vance was running for vice president, he walked across an airport tarmac in Wisconsin one August day when his campaign travels happened to intersect those of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and approached Air Force Two. Besides wanting to take a poke at Republican Donald Trump's rival for avoiding the press, Vance said, "I just wanted to check out my future plane. It's an aircraft he now knows well. In the opening months of Trump's term, Vice President Vance has travelled all over the globe family in tow to conduct top-level diplomacy for the administration, in addition to taking a number of domestic trips. His international forays have featured a mix of meetings with world leaders, sharply crafted speeches advancing US policy, soft power appearances to build goodwill and family time at tourist sites along the way. Diplomacy before family and cultural sights Vance's trips have included a five-day trip to Europe in February, a hastily reorganised trek to ...

Kapil Sibal hits back at VP Dhankhar, says Constitution is supreme

Neither Parliament nor the executive but the Constitution is supreme, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday, as he hit back at Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar who slammed his critics for questioning his remarks on a recent Supreme Court order. Sibal also claimed that everything the court said was consistent with the country's constitutional values and guided by national interest. Sibal's remarks in posts on X came soon after Dhankhar said that every word spoken by a constitutional authority was guided by supreme national interest. A top court bench recently prescribed a three-month timeline for the president of India to decide on Bills reserved by governors for her nod. Reacting to the directive, Dhankhar said the judiciary cannot play the role of a "super Parliament" and get into the domain of the executive. Addressing a Delhi University event, Dhankhar, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said every word spoken by a constitutional functionary was guided by the supr

Vance's visit boosts US-India talks amid trade pact negotiations: Scindia

US Vice President J D Vance's visit to India takes dialogue between the two countries a step further, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday as New Delhi looks to stitch an early deal with Washington that spares it from President Donald Trumps' additional tariff hikes. Vance began a four-day tour of India on Monday as the two nations engage in talks to nail a bilateral trade agreement that would avoid reciprocal tariffs. A 26 per cent 'reciprocal' tariff on Indian exports to the US is currently on a 90-day pause, set to expire on July 8. However, like other countries, India is presently subject to a 10 per cent tariff under the existing policy. In an interview with PTI, Scindia said India and the US represent "tremendous markets", adding that closer cooperation between the two nations is not only mutually beneficial but also in the broader interest of the world. "Vice President of the United States coming to India is a very welcome and a very important step. I think it

US V-P JD Vance, family reach Jaipur; to visit Amber Fort Tuesday

US Vice President J D Vance reached Jaipur from Delhi along with his family on Monday night and is set to visit the Amber Fort in the city the next day. He is set to deliver a lecture on US-India relations at Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) on Tuesday. The US vice president, his wife Usha Vance, and their three children -- Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel -- are staying at Hotel Rambagh Palace. They are scheduled to leave for Agra on Wednesday morning and then return to Jaipur in the afternoon as he is scheduled to visit the City Palace here. The Vance family will depart for the US early Thursday morning. Tight security arrangements have been put in place across the city for the vice president's visit. A Rajasthan government official said Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reviewed the preparations for the visit in a meeting on Saturday. He had directed officials to make all preparations to make the Vace family's Jaipur visit memorable. The official said the family will be welcomed in .

First stop Akshardham Temple; US V-P Vance says his kids 'loved it'

US Vice President J D Vance, his Indian-origin wife Usha and their three children began their India trip on Monday with a visit to the sprawling Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple near the banks of the Yamuna. The Vances, who are here for a four-day visit during which they are also scheduled to travel to Jaipur and Agra, were at the temple complex for about an hour. The children -- Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel, all three dressed in Indian attire -- were the cynosure of many an eye. "Thank you all so much for your hospitality and kindness in welcoming me and my family to this beautiful place. It is a great credit to India that you built a beautiful temple with precision and care. Our kids, in particular, loved it. God bless," the vice president wrote in the temple guest book. Once done, the family posed for camera crews outside the imposing facade of the temple. "They were given a traditional welcome after which they had 'darshan'. A carved wooden elephant, a model of the Delhi Akshardham .

US Vice President JD Vance, wife Usha Vance arrive in India, to meet PM Modi

JD Vance in India: US VP to visit Akshardham, Taj Mahal; complete itinerary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for US Vice President JD Vance on Monday evening, following talks that are expected to focus on trade tariffs and bilateral relations

Cong MP Singhvi defends SC's Article 142 power after VP Dhankhar's remarks

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar had, on Thursday, called Article 142 a "nuclear missile against democratic forces that remains available to the judiciary 24x7"

Confident of positive outcomes from US VP Vance's visit next week: Vaishnaw

Ahead of US Vice President JD Vance's visit to India next week, Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday expressed optimism about "positive outcome" from the visit. Vaishnaw cited pragmatic approach and continued engagement on both sides, and asserted that India has emerged as a trusted hub in electronics manufacturing. "There will be very positive outcome is what I can say with a good level of confidence, because we have approached this thing in a very pragmatic way, and very agile way, and we have continuously engaged," Vaishnaw said when asked what outcomes he expects given the backdrop of Vance's upcoming visit, and India and US' economic and trade engagements. "Over a period of time, India has emerged as a very trusted country, because the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted foreign policy, that trust has got generated about our country today, and that is going to be a big and important factor for all of us," Vaishnaw said. On whether there are any ..

'Judges cannot be super Parliament': VP Dhankhar on SC Article 142 ruling

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar slams SC for enacting TN Bills via Article 142, says India wasn't meant to be a democracy 'where judges govern'; calls the move a 'nuclear missile' on democracy

VP Dhankhar criticises SC deadline, questions FIR delay against judge

Vice-President objects to SC deadline for Presidential action under Article 201 and questions judicial delay in judge cash haul case