Debate, dissent part of healthy democracy: VP Radhhakrishnan at JNU
New Delhi (PTI): Vice President C P Radhhakrishnan on Monday said that debate, discussion, dissent and even confrontation are essential elements of a healthy democracy, but such processes must ultimately lead to a conclusion.
He underlined that once a decision is taken, there must be a collective willingness to cooperate in its implementation to ensure smooth and effective administration.
Addressing the ninth convocation of Jawaharlal Nehru University here, he urged the graduating students to dedicate their knowledge and skills to the service of the nation.
Recalling the teachings of Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, the vice president said that education must go beyond degrees to build character, strengthen intellect and empower individuals to stand on their own feet.
He emphasised that education and proper training alone would enable India's youth to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat at 2047.
Highlighting India's civilisational tradition of knowledge, Radhakrishnan referred to the ancient centres of learning such as Nalanda and Takshashila and noted that Indian scriptures and classics, from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita to Kautilya's Arthashastra and Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural, have consistently placed learning at the centre of societal and ethical life.
He underlined that true education shapes conduct and character, and is not limited to the acquisition of degrees.
Referring to the democratic ethos of JNU, the vice president said that debate, discussion, dissent and even confrontation are essential elements of a healthy democracy. However, he added that such processes must ultimately lead to a conclusion. Once a decision is made, he emphasised, there must be a collective willingness to cooperate in its implementation to ensure smooth and effective administration.
The vice president urged graduates to uphold three core responsibilities -- intellectual honesty in the pursuit of truth, social inclusion to reduce inequalities, and active contribution to national development.
He called upon them to remain guided by constitutional values and India's civilisational ethos, and to always respect their parents and teachers.
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
