Forces disparaging India's cultural heritage should be retaliated against: Vice President Dhankar

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Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed concern on Saturday over a segment of the population in India showing disregard for the nation's 5,000-year-old cultural heritage.

Speaking at an event at Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar, Dhankhar urged those who take pride in India's cultural legacy to respond to such forces. He noted that these individuals, either misled or misguided, tarnish the country's image and emphasized the need for retaliation by those proud of their culture.

"It is a matter of concern that a section of people in the country who are not many, have no respect for India's 5,000-year-old culture or its glorious past. They have a scornful attitude towards it and keep tarnishing the country's image. They are either misled or misguided. They deserve to be retaliated against by people who take pride in our own culture and roots," Dhankhar said at a programme held at the Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar.

He said some misguided people in this "great country" cannot swallow the progress it has made in recent years.

"They are against the inclusive education policy in mother tongue. The day is not far away when all education in India will be given in mother tongue," he said.

Describing the Gurukul Kangri (deemed to be) University as the epicentre of Indian nationalism and a symbol of the essence of its cultural ethos, he said some western universities are engaged in tarnishing India's development journey and asked the university to counter this.

"You have the scholarship and erudition that can counter this smear campaign," he said.

Dhankhar said India will have to return to the Vedas if it wants to regain its position as the Vishwaguru.

The new National Education Policy is based on taking pride in the country's cultural roots, he said.

He said the 5000-year-old culture of the country which is at the core of its identity was beautifully showcased during the G20 summit held in Delhi and the entire world glimpsed it with curiosity and admiration.

He said the wheel of the Konark Sun Temple and the statue of Natraj which symbolise India's ancient culture was appreciated by the world leaders who gathered in Delhi for the summit.

India is gradually coming out of the "shackles of its colonial mindset", he said, adding that the three new legislations passed by Parliament to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act are a reflection of this changing mindset.

"The system of penal law introduced by the British has been turned into a legal system of justice," he said.

The statue of Subhas Chandra Bose at the India Gate, the conversion of Raj Path to Kartavya Path show India's growing faith in itself and its own icons.

He extended an invitation to the students of Gurukul Kangri University to visit the new Parliament building in Delhi, saying they would be his guests.

"A look at the new Parliament building will show you what a positive change has come about in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," the vice president said. (With inputs from PTI)