India's Rise Comes With Challenges From 'Within And Without': VP Dhankhar Urges Caution Against 'Anti-Indian Forces'

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has called on the country's "intelligentsia and media" to be aware of those spreading harmful narratives against India.

Addressing a gathering after releasing a book in New Delhi, Dhankhar cautioned that India’s rise at the global stage comes with challenges from within and without.

He called for intelligentsia and the people to be cognisant of "incubators and distributors orchestrating pernicious narratives to downsize our growth trajectory and dent our functional democracy and constitutional institutions".

"India is on rise as never before and the rise is unstoppable. Global relevance and recognition of the Nation is at a level never before. This rise is with challenges from within and without," he said.

"It is here that the intelligentsia and people from media come into picture. We all need to be cognisant of emergence of incubators and distributors of anti-Indian forces orchestrating pernicious narratives to down size our growth trajectory and taint our functional democracy and constitutional institutions," the Vice President said.

"It is imperative that we all believe in our nation and nationalism and engage in neutralising such misadventures," he added.

Further, the Vice President also emphasised the importance of equal treatment under the law in a democratic society.

He noted that no individual or group should be granted special privileges, as this undermines the principles of democracy.

Dhankhar also expressed concern that some people may erroneously believe that they are exempt from the law, and called on the media and general public to take note of this critical message.

"In a democracy, all are similarly accountable to law. No one can have privileged consideration by Law, else Democracy will cease to exist if between A and B, A will be looked at by law through a different prism," he said.

"Be you so high, the law is always above you. It is known to us all that there can be no such privileges. There can be no enforcement of these privileges. The rigours of law to apply to all. Some people unfortunately think they are different or to be dealt with differently," he said.

"Ours is the most vibrant and functional democracy. Equality is something which we can never negotiate. Adherence to law is not optional. Some people have to realise it. Intelligence and media have to see a lot of meaning in it," he added.