Weaponisation Of Faith Through Coerced Conversion Erodes Social Harmony, Says VP

Jagdeep Dhankhar  said, “There are choreographed, well-structured, ill-designed alterations aimed at changing the makeup of certain geographies. Young friends, these calculated alterations in our demography are often driven by political or strategic motives that are certainly not wholesome for our nation. These disrupt our social and cultural equilibrium. Such menacing trends require vigilant monitoring and decisive action to safeguard the integrity and sovereignty of Bharat. These are the most worrying trends. In contrast to slow and long term demographic shifts, which is usual, natural, demographic changes take place. They have to take place, but they are usually slow and long term. Natural demographic shifts occur gradually, deliberate and orchestrated changes in the demographic composition of certain regions pose a significant concern."

Addressing the 65th and 66th Convocation Ceremony of the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, as the Chief Guest, Shri 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, Shri Dhankhar declared, "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."

Turning to a transformative governance reform, the Vice-President commended the Government of India’s decision, "The recent decision by the Government of India — a game-changing decision, a milestone in governance — is to include caste-based enumeration in the upcoming decadal census. This will be transformative. This will help us satisfy aspirations equitably to bring about equality and will be a decisive step towards social justice. This will also help us when data becomes available to enrich our understanding of inequalities. Because if inequalities are there, they generate and breed inequities. That is not the essence of governance. And therefore, these caste-based censuses, the data that will emanate, will guide us for targeted development. Development will reach in sectors where it is needed. I can say with pride, institutions like IIPS are uniquely positioned to play a crucial, critical role in interpreting such data and proposing inclusive solutions."