Vice President's Secretariat
Text of the Vice President’s speech – Rising India Summit -2023
• Indeed, a marquee event. All the more significant, being hosted in Amrit Kaal.
• It is eminently befitting and soothing that focus and attention is being bestowed on our real heroes at a time when India is on the rise as never before and the rise is unstoppable, earning unprecedented global recognition and respect.
• As a mark of respect to our heroes let’s pledge to take pride in our historic accomplishments and be ever proud Indians.
• Always keep Nation First. No interest, business or otherwise, can be above national interest.
• The theme of the Coffee Table Book unveiled a while ago "Voice of India-Modi and His Transformative Mann ki Baat" is very apt.
• Mann ki Baat in a sense has impact-fully captured the imagination of the people, it being honest discourse and seamless connect with the masses.
• I appeal to media for wider dissemination of the coffee book content and highlight success stories of Real Bharat that exemplify our age old value system, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam .
• Friends today we have the most functional democracy in the world. We are the largest and mother of democracies. Our constitutional institutions are spinally strong and independent. We are proud of judicial system.
• None in the world has legitimacy or credentials to lesson us on this aspect. Those so engaged need to look within and revisit their thoughts.
• It is painful that some amongst us are engaged in thoughtless orchestration of sinister campaign to taint and tarnish our democratic institutions.
• We find sinister forces, within and without, functional with pernicious agenda to sully and downsize our growth trajectory; taint and tarnish our democratic institutions and rundown our success.
• You will not find a parallel in the world that people holding the positions of power would go to other countries to run down their own country. We all need to reflect on this.
• We all need to be cognizant of virtual intense warfare against India's integrity by well orchestrated global machinery functioning within and outside country.
• One can see an entire ecosystem aimed at handicapping our growth. Attacking India's legitimacy as nation state, its constitutional institutions including the Parliament is becoming favourite past time of some outside the country.
• An intense assault on India's values, integrity and its institutions is emanating from well maintained incubators.
• I wouldn’t say much but would draw your attention – look at South Asia Studies in an ivy league university. This is being funded by our billionaires, even the government in 2008 funded it. But look at their activities, with respect to our nation and with respect to our neighbouring nation. It is matter of concern should we be funding those whose agenda is to thoughtlessly run down this nation?
• An ecosystem is being shaped to combat India's emergence as Global power. It is the favourite theme of some outside institutions to attack India's legitimacy as a nation state and it's Constitution, ignoring ground reality.
• Such orchestrated narratives are disseminated in high decibel by section of media and intelligentsia in a manner that even Goebbels pales into insignificance.
• It will be a befitting tribute to our real heroes of freedom movement and thereafter to ensure the relentless crusade against corruption fructifies in legal finality.
• It is unfortunate that legally sanctified crusade against corruption is sought to be combated by partisan stance and individual concerns. How can issues of corruption be seen with pollical prism?
• It is time for all of us to realise, none in democracy can claim on any ground whatsoever, to be above the law and beyond the reach of the law.
• It is time all reconcile to this level playing field reality. Always remember "be you ever so high, the law is always above you."
• Issues, including arising out of judicial verdicts, have to be systemically addressed.
• “One doesn’t fight a patient’s ailment by holding placards and sounding slogans against the germs.” Picked this from book I am presently reading. Let’s debate and diagnose the problem and then act.
• In recent years, there has been due and commendable recognition to our unsung heroes obscured in our history.
• Friends, in recent years the tangible transformation of governance system has led to emergence of transparent and accountable ecosystem.
• Power Corridors, for long infested with people engaging in liaising and whatnot, have now been sanitized. It used to be a lucrative industry at a time.
• A sea change has also been reflected in bureaucratic positioning, with there being eclipse of concept of “plum posts.”
• It is tribute to our heroes, sung and unsung, that wholesome transformation is taking place owing to series of governmental initiatives and policies enabling citizen to fully exploit their potential and talent.
• New vistas of opportunities are now available. It is in this backdrop that our track record in producing more than 80,000 Start Ups and more than 100 unicorns is envy of the world.
• India today is a global destination of investment and opportunity in otherwise stressed global scenario.
• It was a moment of pride for us all in September 2022 when India became the fifth largest global economy, overtaking our erstwhile colonial rulers - the UK. By turn of the decade India will be third largest global economy.
• Friends, I have an earnest appeal to make, in particular journalists and intelligentsia, to generate the climate so that our parliamentarians, in temples of democracy, exemplify high standards worth emulating by people at large.
• These temples of democracy, legitimate constitutional theatres for dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation are plagued by disruptions and disturbance.
• Disorder has become the normal order in the Parliament. Nothing can be more worrisome than this.
• It will be a real tribute to our heroes - sung and unsung, that we do all to nurture and blossom our democracy gifted to us by their sacrifices.
• This can best be achieved and democratic values and public interest optimally served when the legislature, the judiciary and the executive discharge their respective obligations scrupulously confining to their respective domain and acting in harmony, togetherness and tandem.
• There will never be a time in a dynamic democracy, which our nation is, when there will be no issues between these institutions. There are bound to be issues. These are required to be resolved taking recourse to collaborative stance.
• A structured interactive mechanism among those at the helm of these institutions - the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Executives needs to be evolved so that issue resolution is wholesomely effected.
• I am a foot soldier of judiciary and have been a senior advocate for three decades. Have held positions as President of Bar Association. How can I even, for a moment, can ever contemplate that I will do something which will damage the institution? I would use this platform that let those at the helm of constitutional institutions not communicate in public domain.
• Friends, I share, with millions of countrymen, deep sense appreciation for the real heroes of Bharat and express sense of gratitude for Network 18 for devoting this program to them. We shall be ever indebted to them.
• Thank You! Jai Hind !