Addressing the celebrations of the 75 years of the Constitution at the University of Delhi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar underscored the vital importance of free expression in a democracy. He said, “If you hesitate to say the right thing, at the right time, to the right group and to the right person, you will not only weaken yourself but also cause deep harm to positive forces. Therefore, expression and communication are paramount.” Emphasising the power of the individual in a participatory democracy, he noted that active dialogue and responsible communication are essential for national progress.
सही बात, सही समय, सही समूह को और सही व्यक्ति को कहने में हिचकिचाहट करोगे, तो खुद को तो दुर्बल करोगे ही; सकारात्मक शक्तियों को भी आप गहरी चोट पहुँचाओगे।
इसलिए, अभिव्यक्ति और संवाद सर्वोपरि है।@UnivofDelhi #DelhiUniversity #Kartavyam #Constitution pic.twitter.com/Exg3JdQuE6
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) April 22, 2025
The Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, said, “For any democracy, every citizen has a pivotal role. I find it inconceivably intriguing that some have recently reflected that constitutional offices can be ceremonial or ornamental. Nothing can be far distanced from a wrong understanding of the role of everyone in this country, constitutional functionary or a citizen. According to me, a citizen is supreme because a nation and democracy are built by citizens. Every one of them has a role. The soul of democracy resides and pulsates in every citizen. Democracy will blossom. Its values will get heightened. When citizen is alert, citizen contributes and what a citizen contributes, there is no substitution of that.”
There is no visualisation in the Constitution of any authority above Parliament.
Parliament is supreme; it is as supreme as every individual in the country.
Every part of ‘We the People’ is an atom in democracy. This atomic power is reflected during elections. That is why… pic.twitter.com/xE8MJigcXE
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) April 22, 2025
Speaking at ‘Kartavyam’, an event marking 75 years of the Indian Constitution at the University of Delhi, Vice President and ex-officio Chancellor Jagdeep Dhankhar stated, “There is no visualisation in the constitution of any authority above parliament. Parliament is supreme and that being the situation. Let me tell you, it is as supreme as every individual in the country. Part of ‘We the People’ is an atom in democracy and that atom has atomic power. That atomic power is reflected during elections and that is why we are a democratic nation.”
He also added that, “The Constitution is encapsulated—its essence, it’s worth, its nectar—in the Preamble of the Constitution. And what does it say? ‘We, the People of India’, the supreme power is with them. No one is above the people of India. And we, the People of India, under the Constitution, have chosen to reflect their aspirations, their desires, and their will through their public representatives. And they hold the representatives accountable—severely accountable, on occasions—through elections. A Prime Minister who imposed ‘Emergency’ was held accountable in 1977. And therefore, let there be no doubt about it: the Constitution is for the people, and its repository of safeguarding is that of the elected representatives. They are the ultimate masters as to what the Constitution’s content will be.”
Democracy is not only for the government to govern. It is participatory democracy- comprising not merely laws, but also culture and ethos.
Citizenship demands action, not merely status. Every individual, if he or she decides, can inculcate a new fervour of nationalistic spirit… pic.twitter.com/4Y9BwyEZkz
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) April 22, 2025
Democracy is not only for the government to govern. It is participatory democracy- comprising not merely laws, but also culture and ethos. Citizenship demands action, not merely status. Every individual, if he or she decides, can inculcate a new fervour of nationalistic spirit by integrating individual responsibility, traditional values, environmental consciousness, in our journey of cultural pride and self-reliance.
Public order stems not from force, not from coercion, but from voluntary discipline. National growth depends on citizens’ pervasive attitude. Public order thrives when every individual acts as guardian of law and justice.
If you want to know about the health of a democracy, then you must analyse the quality of discourse that we have.
Is our discourse moderated? Is our discourse manipulated? Is our discourse controlled by moneybags, by muscle power, by foreign interests, by people working against… pic.twitter.com/d1gt71MKkd
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) April 22, 2025
Underlining the significance of the quality of discourse in any healthy democracy, the Vice-President said, “If you want to know the health of democracy, like the health of an individual, if you want to analyse how healthy is our democracy, then you will have to find out discourse quality, the kind of discourse we have. Is our discourse moderated? Is our discourse manipulated? Is our discourse controlled by moneybags, by muscle power, by foreign interests, by people working against the interests of this nation? You will have to discern.”
Highlighting the significance of freedom of expression, he stated, “We have to understand—democracy thrives through expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti aur samvaad—these are the core mantras of democracy. These are the basic mantras. If your right of expression is throttled or regulated, as was done during the Emergency, democracy nosedives. But if you have the right of expression, and that expression reflects arrogance and ego—where you believe your expression is ultimate, where you refuse to entertain any different point of view, refuse to even look at the other side—that too is not true expression as per our civilisation. Because every expression demands respect for dialogue, and respect for the other point of view. You must always be prepared to be challenged. And to challenge is not a physical act—it is a challenge of ideas, a difference in thought: “I disagree with you.” That does not mean “I am disagreeable.” There must always be space for such exchange. Therefore, expression and dialogue are complementary—they together define democracy. If we delve into our civilisational heritage, this was referred to in Vedic times as ‘Anantavad’—the idea of infinite perspectives. There was a tradition of vaad-vivaad—debate and discourse—And this tradition was free of ego. Vaad-vivaad dissolves ego and arrogance. Because if I believe that only I am right and no one else can be right—that arrogance tarnishes not only the individual but also institutions. That is why, for a healthy democracy, expression and dialogue are essential.”
Hon’ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, ex-officio Chancellor of the University of Delhi, presided as Chief Guest over ‘Kartavyam’, marking the celebration of 75 years of the Indian Constitution, organised at University of Delhi today.@UnivofDelhi #DelhiUniversity… pic.twitter.com/0agFx7CsjR
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) April 22, 2025
Emphasising the role of youth in nation-building, Dhankhar added, “The quality of discourse defines our democracy and in this, I have no doubt, our youth must elevate beyond partisanship to thoughtful deliberation. Our youth cannot afford this critical juncture when Bharat is rising, the rise is unstoppable. We are destined to be a global power. We will be a developed nation. You cannot be tied down to partisan interests; you have to believe only in national interests.”
As thinking minds, you have to be contributors for preserving our national legacy, thought process, and ensure sustainability of it. We cannot afford to be thwarted by forces inimical to Bharat that have structured, sinister designs, pernicious motivations to run down… pic.twitter.com/HrQWMhsNpc
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) April 22, 2025
He also added that, “As thinking minds, you have to be contributors for preserving our national legacy, thought process, and ensure sustainability of it. We cannot afford to be thwarted by forces inimical to Bharat that have structured, sinister designs, pernicious motivations to run down institutions, tarnishing individuals. Every word that is spoken by a constitutional functionary is guided by the supreme sublime interest of the nation. In India, there was a time when individuals had profound moral and social standing. Respect was only for those who had high moral, ethical standing, who had everything to give back to the society.
If I quote Upanishad,
“यथा पिंडे तथा ब्रह्मण्डे”
As is the individual, so is the universe”.
Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi, Prof. Balaram Pani, Dean Colleges, University of Delhi, Shri Prakash Singh, Director, South Delhi Campus, University of Delhi and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
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