New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Vice-President and Chairman Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, talking about Operation Sindoor, said on Tuesday that Indians are now nationalistic as never before.

The Vice President stated, “For national security, we need indigenous strength. War is best avoided from a position of strength. Peace is secured when you are ever ready for war…strength comes apart from technological prowess, conventional arms strength, from people also.”

Speaking at the inaugural session of Rajya Sabha Internship Program-phase 7 at the Vice-President’s Enclave, Dhankhar underscored, “The recent episode, Operation Sindoor, has changed our mindset massively. We are now nationalistic as never before. And this is reflected in the participation of all political landscape in delegations that have gone abroad to project our message of peace and our complete intolerance to terrorism. And therefore, having seen recent events, well, we have no choice. We have no other option but to remain united and grow stronger…Like institutions, even political tribes have a moral duty to the national cause, because ultimately, all Institutions, the Legislature, the Judiciary, the Executive, the focal point is national growth, national welfare, public welfare, to generate transparency, accountability, and honesty.”

“On issues of national security, economic progress, all factions need to put national interest over partisan priorities. I will appeal to everyone in the political spectrum to seriously reflect, come to a conclusion that on issues of national security, on issues of growth, on issues of our internal security, there must be a consensus. Sometimes politics get too hot for nationalism and security, something we need to overcome,” he added.

Emphasising that Parliament is the ultimate authority to make laws, Dhankhar stated, “Indian Parliament is much beyond a legislative body. It is a reflection presently of 1.4 billion people’s will. It is the only legitimised constitutional platform that reflects authentically the will of the people, and therefore, Parliament has primacy. Parliament has primacy not in everything because there are areas where the executive has primacy, how to govern. The judiciary has primacy how to deal with the justice system, but parliament has primacy on two counts- it is the ultimate authority to make law. Secondly, it holds executives accountable. Because governance is defined by some fundamentals, and one fundamental is transparency. Second is accountability, and in modern times, we have added a third facet to it. Optimal performance by institutions to gallop our progress trajectory…Parliament is a place, the ultimate place, for debate, dialogue, discussion, and discourse.”

–IANS

uk