‘Charity to influence faith will have consequences for democracy’

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has expressed concern over what he termed as structured use of charity to influence faith and said that it will have serious consequences for democracy.

Mr. Dhankhar was addressing students of Adichunchanagiri University at Bellur in Mandya district on Friday.

Referring to the societal work rendered by the Adichunchanagiri Mutt, the Vice-President described its services as exemplary and said that India’s civilisational ethos said that charity should be done and not spoken of. But some institutions had engaged in a structured manner to influence the faith of the beneficiary, he said.

“When you influence the faith of the needy, the marginalised and the vulnerable, things become critical and will have serious consequences with the no-so-well-intentioned design aimed to run down nationalism,” said Mr. Dhankhar.

The Vice-President touched upon the notion of inclusivity, and said that it was enshrined in Indian philosophy as evident in the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family).

 “Surely, we don’t need lessons in something we have lived through for more than 5,000 years. This philosophy alone is sustainable and makes for global peace and harmony, but some people have a different concept of inclusivity that is destructive of the idea of inclusivity,” said Mr. Dhankhar.

Published - October 25, 2024 09:42 pm IST