Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday expressed concern over the divisive nature of Indian politics, saying that “a vitiated political climate” was “far more dangerous” than climate change and called for “political fire extinguishers” to calm the situation. He also spoke about how Public Service Commission (PSC) members should not be “wedded to a particular ideology or an individual”.
Dhankhar made these remarks while delivering the inaugural address at the 25th National Conference of Chairpersons of All State Public Service Commission at Bengaluru on Saturday and stressed that the weakening of any institution is a threat to the nation.
“Weakening of institutions…any institution, if it is weakened, the damage is to the entire nation. Weakening an institution is like a prick on the body. The entire body will be in pain. I would therefore urge, we must have strengthening of institutions. States and Union must work in tandem. They must be in synergetic mode. They must be in sync with one another when it comes to national interest,” he said.
Dhankhar also emphasised that a harmonious political environment is crucial for the nation’s progress, calling for open communication and dialogue across political organisations. “Our polity at the moment is too divisive, too polarised. Interaction is not taking place at the premium level in political organisations,” he said.
“When it comes to nation, when the world is in a transformative phase, it is India’s century. That century can be fully fructified for people’s gain only when we have a calm political atmosphere…..We need political fire extinguishers. A political divisiveness, a vitiated political climate is far more dangerous than the climate change we are facing,” Dhankhar added, urging political leaders to prioritise consensus-building and address national challenges without delay.
In view of increasing reports on exam paper leaks, Dhankhar said such incidents have sparked a new fear among candidates. “This is a menace. You have to curb (it). Your fairness of selection will have no meaning if paper leakages are there. And paper leakage has become an industry, a commerce. People, young boys and girls, used to have a fear of examinations. How difficult the question will be? How will we address it? Now they have two fears. One is fear of examination. Second, fear of leakage. So when they are giving their very best for several months and weeks to prepare for an examination, they receive the setback of leakage,” he said.
The vice-president also stressed that PSC members should not be “wedded” to a particular ideology. “It is with utmost restraint I am reflecting on an aspect. Public Service Commissions, the appointment cannot be driven by patronage, by favouritism. There are trends that are visible. I do not wish to reflect on them but some of them are very painful. We must account ourselves to our conscience. We cannot have a Public Service Commission chairman or a member wedded to a particular ideology or an individual. That will be undoing the essence and spirit of the framework of the Constitution,” he said.
Dhankhar also underlined that extensions in service were a setback to those who were in line. “It defies the logical principle of expectation. We have a doctrine of expectation. People devote decades to be in a particular groove. Extension indicates that some individual is indispensable. Indispensability is a myth. Talent abounds in this country. No one is indispensable. And therefore, it lies in the domain of Public Service Commissions at the state and the central level that when they have a role in such kinds of situations, they must be firm,” he said.
Drawing attention towards post-retirement assignments, Dhankhar said, “Post-retirement recruitment is a problem. In some states, it has been structured. Employees never retire, particularly those in the premium services. They get a number of ad-hoc nomenclatures. This is not good. Everyone in the country must have due and that due is defined by law… Any largesse of this kind is antithetical to what was visualised by framers of the Constitution.”
Highlighting the role of intellectuals, he criticised their tendency to align with political interests and urged them to remain objective and act as “fire extinguishers” during social disharmony. He emphasised that governance must embrace diverse ideologies, rooted in India’s ethos of dialogue and inclusivity.
“I find intellectuals are formed into groups. They sign representations they may not have read. They think signing representation is a password for getting a position if a particular dispensation comes to power. Now look at intellectuals, former bureaucrats, former diplomats. You earned a level of public service, which others must emulate. You must be objective in making representations. You cannot create a group to subserve your interest with change of political alignments,” he said.
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