"We cannot afford to engage in polarized, divisive activities": VP Dhankhar

Thiruvananthapuram : Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Sunday that Indians cannot afford to distance themselves from the core values of Sanatan and engage in polarized, divisive activities. He lamented that politics has become polarized and deeply divided, with tensions running high.
Dhankhar was delivering the fourth P Parameswaran Memorial Lecture, organized by Bharatheeya Vicharakendram in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.
"Politics has become polarized, vertically divisive, and temperatures are ever high. Core national and civilisational values are no longer the central theme. As meaningful dialogue fades, so do the pillars of cooperation, collaboration, and consensus," Dhankhar said.
"In this country that takes pride in its Sanatan values of inclusivity, where diversity is reflected in unity, we cannot afford to be distanced from these core values and engage in polarised, divisive activities. Time for us to fall in the groove of Sanatan Dharma, as enlightened by Shri P. Parameswaran Ji," he added.
The Vice President hailed Parameswaran as "one of the greatest sons of Bharat" and a leading ideologue and thinker of Hindu philosophy in this century.
"We are celebrating, by way of this lecture, one of the finest intellectuals committed to social work, and such a son of the soil is being honoured in the land of Kerala, God's own country," he said.
He also noted that India is no longer perceived as a nation of snake charmers but now captivates the world with its vast potential.
He said that Parliament must be a role model for people and slammed the disruption and disturbance in the "temples of democracy."
"The largest democracy's Parliament must be a role model for people. It is a platform to transform the aspirations of the people into reality. It has to be an impregnable citadel of dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation. But what do we see today? Can there be sacrilege of more intense enormity than when temples of democracy are ravaged by disruption and disturbance?" he said.
He warned that political intolerance and reckless stances prioritizing partisan and personal interests over nationalism need to be moderated.
"Our democracy has to survive, and the first test is parliamentary functioning. We face situations where national interest is relegated. Anti-national narratives take wings. We are living in very dangerous times. Political intolerance and reckless stances promoting partisan and personal interest at the cost of nationalism need to be moderated. There is a need for social counseling. Young minds and senior citizens must converge to generate an ecosystem by becoming influencers of our mindset," he added.
Dhankhar said that the influx of illegal migrants is a danger to the country and urged to thwart the "demographic dislocations courageously."
"How can a nation suffer millions of illegal migrants? Look at their number. Look at the danger they bring to this country. I would urge that we must courageously thwart these demographic dislocations. They make demands on our employment, on our health, on our education sectors, and then become a factor in electoral politics. The unchecked flow is also threatening our culture. This is very urgent and has to be addressed. We are cliff-hanging. We must generate awareness. The mindset of the people must be activated," he said.
The Vice President clarified that demographic concerns should not be mistaken for majoritarianism.
"Demography does matter. Demography should not be confused with majoritarianism. We cannot have a society divided into these two camps. The nation is faced with grim challenges when it comes to demography. The demography evolution must be organic, natural, soothing," he said.
"Only then it reflects unity in diversity. However, if demographic variations are brought about in the nature of virtual earthquake, there is cause for concern. If inorganic demographic variations take place with the intent to increase demographic components with the object to secure prowess, then we have to be alarmed. This is noticeably being done. We are at a crossroads where we can neither overlook nor countenance this highly destabilising development. We have to be extremely alert. All have to converge to preserve the pristine demographic sanctity of Bharat," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Vice President and his wife, Sudesh Dhankhar, planted saplings in memory of their late mothers, Kesari Devi and Bhagwati Devi, at the Uday Palace Convention Centre premises in Thiruvananthapuram.
Upon his arrival in Thiruvananthapuram, Dhankhar was welcomed by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Kerala Minister GR Anil, and other dignitaries.