Dharmasthala (Karnataka) [India], January 7 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday criticized the prevalence of VIP culture, particularly in religious institutions, emphasizing that such practices contradict the principles of equality and divinity.
Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Queue Complex and Jnanadeepa at Sri Kshethra Dharmasthala, Karnataka, he called for eliminating VIP privileges at places of worship, urging them to uphold the ideals of egalitarianism and serve as exemplars of inclusivity.
“VIP culture is an aberration; it is an incursion when viewed through the anvil of equality. It should have no place in society, much less in religious places. The very idea of VIP darshan militates against divinity. It should be dispensed with,” he said.
Calling for equality in religious institutions, he added, “Religious institutions are emblematic of equality since there is no individual higher before the Almighty, the God. We should re-instil the idea of equality in religious institutions. I hope this Dharmasthala, being led by a luminary of all times, will serve as an example of egalitarianism and let us shun for all times VIP culture.”
“Politics is not for bitterness. Politicians will have different ideologies. They must have. India is defined for its diversity because the diversity converges into unity. But why should there be political bitterness? The object of politics should not be power alone. Power is important. It should be serving the society, serving the nation,” he asserted.
Expanding on this, VP Dhankhar added, “There is now an urgent need in the country to ensure, to think, to reflect on deep political divisiveness. The political climate in the country is a challenge as much as climate change. We have to work to harmonize it. We cannot ignore our long-term gains. The political temperature in the country needs to be moderated by one consideration. Nation. We must strive to keep the nation first in all situations.”
On the importance of dialogue in a democracy, the Vice-President stated that dialogue and expression define a democracy.
“If our right of expression is curtailed, diminished, the best of an individual cannot come forward. But if we insist only on expression and do not believe in dialogue, if we believe only in expression and believe that we alone are right, we are being unfair to the other person. Dialogue and expression have to go hand in hand. the importance of the other point of view,” he said.
While calling India the spiritual centre of the world, Shri Dhankhar also emphasized the importance of villages saying, “Our Bharat lives in villages. Our path of progress has to go through villages. Villages define our way of life, our democracy, our economy. It is in villages that the heartbeat of India resonates. The development of these areas has to be our topmost priority. It is our sacred duty. And the best way to transform is education,” he remarked.
Appealing to corporates, the Vice-President encouraged them to actively support religious institutions through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“I call upon corporates, Indian corporates, to come forward, generously contribute out of their CSR funds for development of infrastructure, for health, for education, infrastructure around such religious institutions, because these religious institutions are beyond places of worship. They are the nerve center of our culture. This will help imbibe in our youth, in our children, cultural values that make this country different from other countries,” he said. (ANI)
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