NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar alleged that illegal immigrants are influencing India’s electoral process and also stressed the need for public awareness on the issue.
Speaking at the 65th convocation of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University on Saturday, he questioned when India would begin deporting illegal immigrants, an action which the US has already taken recently.
“Crores of people who have no right to live in India are living here…They are making their livelihood here. They are making demands on our resources. On our education, health sector, housing sector. Now things have gone further. They are intervening in our electoral process,” Dhankhar said.
He urged citizens to create an atmosphere where every Indian is aware of this challenge.
Without naming the US directly, the vice president referred to the recent deportation of Indian nationals who had entered the country illegally.
“A question should occur to every Indian — when would we start doing this?” he asked, adding that the youth should act as a powerful pressure group and question the public representatives and government on their jobs.
“Nationalism is our religion and topmost priority,” he said.
Touching the issue of religious conversions, Dhankar said that an individual is entitled to follow any religion, however, conversions are happening through temptations. He claimed that such changes in demographics could threaten national stability, citing examples of majority communities being “finished off” in certain countries.
In a possible reference to allegations of USAID funding efforts to increase voter turnout in India, Dhankhar warned of attempts to manipulate the country’s democratic process. He called for a “deep, thorough, micro-level investigation” into these claims.
Addressing India’s development goals, Dhankhar acknowledged the challenges ahead but remained optimistic. “We will have to increase our per capita income eight-fold, and therefore all of us must move fast and with commitment. That commitment requires we should believe in our nation.” He further added that commitment to nationalism is non-negotiable as it is directly connected to freedom.
Commenting on India’s growth over the last one decade, he said that the country has witnessed “exponential economic rise, phenomenal infrastructural upsurge, deep digitization and technology penetration,” adding that no other nation has seen such growth during this period.
“This nation is therefore full of hope and possibility. This nation is no longer a nation with potential, but (it is a nation) on rise which is unstoppable.”
He said that people have toilets, gas connection, internet connections, road connectivity with infrastructure connectivity is making life easier.
“If you have an idea, the government policies will handhold you,” Dhankhar said.
He also praised the rise of start-ups in tier 2 and 3 cities, highlighting that they are emerging from ordinary families rather than traditional business backgrounds. The vice president further stated that social transformation would come through social harmony. “Social harmony will shape our unity in diversity. We must foster it at all costs,” he emphasised.
Mentioning the renaming of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, saying it was a step towards restoring India’s “long-overdue glory.”
