NewzVille Desk
The Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed as the chief guest at the 65th And 66th Convocation Ceremony of the International Institute For Population Sciences (IIPS) In Mumbai on 28 May 2025. Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of (Protocol & Marketing), Maharashtra, Prof. D.A. Nagdeve, Director & Sr. Professor (Addl. Charge), IIPS and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering Dhankhar said, “Peace is quintessential, fundamental for survival of democracy. Never forget, peace is secured from a position of strength. Democracy can blossom and prosper only in peace that is earned through strength, effective security, economic resilience, internal harmony. History is proof of it. Invasions can be thwarted and peace secured only when we are ever ready for war. Bharat has sent a global message. No longer shall we tolerate terrorism. We will liquidate it and destroy the source of it. Peace is not absence of conflict. It is the presence of preparedness. Democracy is a delicate bloom in its fertile soil of security. Democracy cannot prosper if there is no security. The sunlight of economic opportunity and the steady reign of social harmony also require peace.”
On matters of security and national fortitude, VP Dhankhar said, “Without peace, democracy withers into fear, mistrust, and chaos. But let us not mistake peace for passivity. Lasting peace is never given — it is earned and it is defended. A nation secures its borders by decisive policies, by being resilient in its economy — then the nation becomes a fortress of peace. We have to emerge as a powerful military force in the region. Emergence of recent combinations that were decisively defeated by us — we have to be ever cognizant of them. We must embrace the ancient wisdom. And mind you, India is a global treasure of knowledge because of our ancient scriptures. There is Shanti Mantra. If we believe in peace, the nation has never believed in expansion.”
He raised the alarm on conversion-based strategies that fragment societal unity by saying, “Equally disturbing, worrisome, of deep concern is the weaponization of faith through coerced or induced conversion. Where belief is replaced by inducement, every belief has to be voluntary, optional. It is induced by Allurement! and choice by agenda. These are not isolated incidents. They erode social harmony, cultural coherence, and compromise of national security. Always remember, and Bharat is known in the world for this, democracies must be compassionate, but democracy cannot afford to be complacent.”
The Vice-President passionately called for authentic public dialogue rooted in India’s civilisational values, “Authentic discourse is our core civilisational value. We cannot have rhetoric. We cannot have jingoism. Public discourse has to be authentic. Our heritage, drawn from Upanishads and Dharmashastras, celebrates dialogue over dogma, restraint over rage. I am pained sometimes when dogma and rage prevail. Youngsters in the country, the youth of the country, and the future of the country have to play a critical role in making public discourse more rational, sensible, and in sync with our civilisational ethos. Authenticity of communication with the public is fundamental. There are some exceptions, like security aspects, but for the rest, it is non-negotiable. Let us reaffirm the soul of democracy resides in honest, sincere, upright, factually balanced and correct dialogue.”
