Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday (December 23) asked those people who take pride in the 5,000-year-old cultural legacy of the country to retaliate against such force, which is a small section of persons, who do not have any respect for it. The Vice President said that such section of people are indulged in tarnishing the image of the country.
"It is a matter of concern that a section of people in the country who are not many, have no respect for India's 5,000-year-old culture or its glorious past. They have a scornful attitude towards it and keep tarnishing the country's image. They are either misled or misguided. They deserve to be retaliated against by people who take pride in our own culture and roots," Dhankhar said at a programme held at the Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar.
He said that some misguided people in the country cannot swallow the progress it has made in the recent years.
"They are against the inclusive education policy in mother tongue. The day is not far away when all education in India will be given in mother tongue," he said.
"Some western universities tarnishing India's development journey"
He described the Gurukul Kangri (deemed to be) University as the epicentre of Indian nationalism and a symbol of the essence of its cultural ethos, and said that some western universities are engaged in tarnishing India’s development journey and asked the university to tackle it.
"You have the scholarship and erudition that can counter this smear campaign," he said.
The Vice President said that India will have to return to the Vedas if its intends to re-establish its position as the Vishwaguru.
The new National Education Policy is based on taking pride in the country's cultural roots, he said.
He said the 5000-year-old culture of the country which is at the core of its identity was beautifully showcased during the G20 summit held in Delhi and the entire world glimpsed it with curiosity and admiration.
He said the wheel of the Konark Sun Temple and the statue of Natraj which symbolise India's ancient culture was appreciated by the world leaders who gathered in Delhi for the summit.
"India coming out of colonial mindset"
The Vice President said that India is gradually coming out of the "shackles of its colonial mindset" and added that the three new legislations passed by Parliament to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act are a reflection of this changing mindset.
"The system of penal law introduced by the British has been turned into a legal system of justice," he said.
The statue of Subhas Chandra Bose at the India Gate, the conversion of Raj Path to Kartavya Path show India's growing faith in itself and its own icons.
He extended an invitation to the students of Gurukul Kangri University to visit the new Parliament building in Delhi, saying they would be his guests.
"A look at the new Parliament building will show you what a positive change has come about in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," the Vice President said.
(With PTI inputs)
