The soul of democracy lives in every citizen: Dhankhad
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated "Kartavyaam" in DU
Delhi University has also played an important role in the making of the Constitution: Prof. Yogesh Singh
New Delhi, April 22.
Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar said that the Indian Constitution is for the people of India. The Vice President (Chancellor of Delhi University) was addressing as the chief guest on the occasion of the inauguration of the program "Kartavyaam" organized by the University of Delhi to commemorate the completion of 75 years of the Constitution of India. The program organized at the historic Vice Regal Lodge of DU was presided over by the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, Prof. Yogesh Singh.
The Vice President said in his address that for any democracy, every citizen has an important role. According to me, the citizen is supreme, because a nation and democracy are built by the citizens. Each one of them has his own role. The soul of democracy lives and beats in every citizen. When the citizen is aware, the citizen contributes, then democracy will blossom, its values will increase; there is no alternative to the contribution made by the citizen.
Shri Dhankhar said that the essence of the Constitution, its importance, its nectar is contained in the Preamble of the Constitution. The Preamble of the Constitution says “We, the people of India.” That means the supreme power lies with them. There is no one above the people of India. And the people of India, under the Constitution, have chosen to reflect their aspirations and desires through their representatives. They hold the representatives accountable through elections. Referring to the Emergency imposed in 1977, he said that the then Prime Minister was held accountable by the people for that. Therefore, there should be no doubt that the Constitution is for the people, and the responsibility of protecting it lies with the elected representatives. They are the final masters of what will be the content of the Constitution.
Reflecting on the duty of citizens in democracy, the Vice President said, “Democracy is not just about rule by the government. It is participatory democracy, not just law, but also culture and ethos. Citizenship demands action, not just status. Democracy is shaped by individuals, not governments. Because individuals have the responsibility to maintain our symbols, preserve our heritage, protect sovereignty and promote brotherhood.
Presiding over the event, Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi Prof. Yogesh Singh felicitated the Vice President of India and Chancellor of Delhi University Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Vice Chancellor thanked DU Law Faculty Campus Law Centre for starting the “Kartavyaam” series and said that the theme “Kartavyaam” is very appropriate. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has also called Amrit Kaal as Kartavyaal. The Prime Minister has described the Amrit Kaal of Independence as the time to fulfil duties towards the country. This is our first duty as citizens and institutions. In his address, the Vice Chancellor said that Delhi University also played an important role in the making of the Constitution. In that era, the Law Faculty of DU was the center of constitutional thoughts, discussions and debates. In those days, many workshops were organized here. Our library worked as a resource center.
At the beginning of the program, Director of Delhi University South Campus Prof. Shri Prakash Singh presented the welcome address. On this occasion, Dean of Colleges Prof. Balaram Pani, Registrar Dr. Vikas Gupta, Dean of Law Faculty Prof. Anju Vali Tikoo, Campus Law Center in-charge Professor Alka Chawla and Kartavyaam Program Director Dr. Seema Singh, along with many academicians and students were present.