Do away with VIP culture in temples, says Vice Prez Dhankhar

NT Correspondent

Dharmasthala: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday that we should do away with the VIP culture, particularly in temples, as the very idea of VIP darshan militates against divinity. He also called upon the people to rise above the politics of disruption and help the country reach its objective of a developed India by 2047. "When precedence is accorded and priority is given to someone when we label it as VVIP or VIP this is belittling the concept of equality. VIP culture is an aberration.

It is an incursion. When viewed on the anvil of equality, it should have no place in society, much less in religious places," said Dhankhar. The Vice President was launching the country's largest 'queue complex' at Sri Manjunatha Temple here. The facility is known as 'Shri Saanidhya'. While delivering his keynote address, Dhankhar criticised the tendency prevailing in today's political milieu, where people, instead of engaging in dialogue, disrupt democratic values. According to him, the political changes that are taking place, engineered by the political forces inimical to Indian democracy, are "more dangerous than the climate change". "We must neutralise the anti-India forces that are trying to make us weak by divisions and misinformation. We must stop them from tarnishing the great name of our country and all that it has gained towards achieving inclusivity, welfare and strengthening our democracy," he added.

At a time when India is surging ahead with its development, Dhankhar said we must start a new narrative against divisive forces and defeat them with our resolve to be united. "Our society was not built on the tenets of materialism. So, I call on corporates to come forward and contribute for health and education using CSR funds," he said.