Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar asserted on Tuesday that there is no authority above Parliament and lawmakers are the repositories of the Constitution as they are elected by citizens, who are supreme in a democracy. The comments came close on the heels of his remarks against the judiciary last week where he alleged that Article 142 had become a nuclear missile against democratic forces available to the apex court.
The latest comments come at a juncture when the controversy over limits to the rights of the Supreme Court to interpret laws continues in the wake of question marks raised by the court over provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act and governors sitting over bills duly passed by an assembly.
Speaking at a programme organised by the Delhi University to mark 75 years of the Indian Constitution, the vice president said constitutional offices are not ornamental and every citizen in the country is supreme. He also insisted on the significance of freedom of expression and communication in a democracy.
Dhankhar had earlier said, on April 19, that Article 142, which deals with the enforcement of decrees and orders of the Supreme Court, is a nuclear missile available to the judiciary. His comments were followed by two BJP lawmakers slamming the present judicial system.
On Tuesday, he said, “For any democracy, every citizen has a pivotal role. I find it inconceivably intriguing that some have recently reflected that constitutional offices can be ceremonial or ornamental. Nothing can be far distanced from a wrong understanding of the role of everyone in this country, constitutional functionary or a citizen. According to me, a citizen is supreme because a nation and democracy are built by citizens.”
Earlier, he had alleged that the Supreme Court was acting as a “super parliament”.
“There is no visualisation in the Constitution of any authority above Parliament,” Dhankhar said on Tuesday. “Parliament is supreme and that being the situation, let me tell you, it is as supreme as every individual in the country. Part of ‘We the People’ is an atom in democracy and that atom has atomic power. That atomic power is reflected during elections and that is why we are a democratic nation.”
He maintained that the citizens hold the representatives accountable through elections.
“A Prime Minister who imposed ‘Emergency’ was held accountable in 1977. And, therefore, let there be no doubt about it: the Constitution is for the people, and its repository of safeguarding is that of the elected representatives. They are the ultimate masters as to what the Constitution’s content will be,” he said.
The vice president also underlined the importance of freedom of expression and communication in a democracy.
“We have to understand—democracy thrives through expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti aur samvaad—these are the core mantras of democracy. These are the basic mantras. If your right of expression is throttled or regulated, as was done during the Emergency, democracy nosedives,” he said.
Dhankhar further said, “If you hesitate to speak the right thing, at the right time, to the right group and the right person, you will not only weaken yourself but also deeply hurt those positive forces. Therefore, expression and dialogue are of utmost importance. Nations are not built by industrialists, nations are built by individuals. The power of the individual, as I said, an atom. The power is atomic, you have that power. You only have to realise it.”
The latest comments come at a juncture when the controversy over limits to the rights of the Supreme Court to interpret laws continues in the wake of question marks raised by the court over provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act and governors sitting over bills duly passed by an assembly.
Speaking at a programme organised by the Delhi University to mark 75 years of the Indian Constitution, the vice president said constitutional offices are not ornamental and every citizen in the country is supreme. He also insisted on the significance of freedom of expression and communication in a democracy.
Dhankhar had earlier said, on April 19, that Article 142, which deals with the enforcement of decrees and orders of the Supreme Court, is a nuclear missile available to the judiciary. His comments were followed by two BJP lawmakers slamming the present judicial system.
On Tuesday, he said, “For any democracy, every citizen has a pivotal role. I find it inconceivably intriguing that some have recently reflected that constitutional offices can be ceremonial or ornamental. Nothing can be far distanced from a wrong understanding of the role of everyone in this country, constitutional functionary or a citizen. According to me, a citizen is supreme because a nation and democracy are built by citizens.”
Earlier, he had alleged that the Supreme Court was acting as a “super parliament”.
“There is no visualisation in the Constitution of any authority above Parliament,” Dhankhar said on Tuesday. “Parliament is supreme and that being the situation, let me tell you, it is as supreme as every individual in the country. Part of ‘We the People’ is an atom in democracy and that atom has atomic power. That atomic power is reflected during elections and that is why we are a democratic nation.”
He maintained that the citizens hold the representatives accountable through elections.
“A Prime Minister who imposed ‘Emergency’ was held accountable in 1977. And, therefore, let there be no doubt about it: the Constitution is for the people, and its repository of safeguarding is that of the elected representatives. They are the ultimate masters as to what the Constitution’s content will be,” he said.
The vice president also underlined the importance of freedom of expression and communication in a democracy.
“We have to understand—democracy thrives through expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti aur samvaad—these are the core mantras of democracy. These are the basic mantras. If your right of expression is throttled or regulated, as was done during the Emergency, democracy nosedives,” he said.
Dhankhar further said, “If you hesitate to speak the right thing, at the right time, to the right group and the right person, you will not only weaken yourself but also deeply hurt those positive forces. Therefore, expression and dialogue are of utmost importance. Nations are not built by industrialists, nations are built by individuals. The power of the individual, as I said, an atom. The power is atomic, you have that power. You only have to realise it.”
