Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 30 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday addressed a public gathering at 'Sneh Milan Samaroh' in Jaipur and highlighted that national interest should be above party politics.

Speaking at the 'Sneh Milan Samaroh,' the Vice President said, 'When we travel abroad, there is no ruling or opposition party; we only represent Bharat, and this has now been demonstrated. This step shows that for us, the nation is supreme. National interest is our duty, Bharatiyata is our pride.'

'Whenever India is the topic, we do not stand divided. Political differences exist within the country, but there are no personal animosities. This is a powerful message that everyone must understand,' he said.

Expressing concern over the current political climate, VP Dhankhar said, 'The current political atmosphere and temperature are not healthy, neither for individuals nor for democracy. It is a matter of concern and reflection.'

He emphasised, 'Power keeps changing hands; the ruling party becomes opposition, the opposition becomes ruling party. But that does not mean we should become enemies. Our enemies may lie across the border, not within the country.'

Highlighting that national interest should be above party politics, the Vice-President said, 'Whenever India is the topic, we do not stand divided. Political differences exist within the country, but there are no personal animosities. This is a powerful message that everyone must understand.'

Further, VP Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasised that India was once counted among the five most fragile economies, but today, it ranks among the world's top four economies.

'Look at the countries we've surpassed. Just wait a little more, Japan, Germany, the UK, Canada, and Brazil are all behind us. Such a leap has been taken that the world refers to the last decade as the period of India's economic rise, a feat unmatched by any other major nation,' he said.

Highlighting the role of the opposition in a democracy, the Vice-President said that the opposition does not mean adversary.

'Democracy requires expression, debate, dialogue, what the Vedas call Anantavaad. When expression reaches a point where opposing views are dismissed entirely, expression loses its essence. Expression is crucial; it is the soul of democracy. But if it is suppressed or becomes so extreme that it ignores all other viewpoints, then it ceases to be meaningful. To make expression meaningful, debate is essential, and debate means engaging with people who disagree with you. There is a strong possibility that they may be right. That is why listening to others strengthens your own expression,' Dhankhar said.

Speaking on policymaking in the interest of farmers, the Vice-President said that if the subsidies given by the government to farmers reach them directly, every farming household could receive more than Rs 30,000 per year.'

'If fertiliser subsidies are transferred directly to farmers, the choice to adopt natural or organic farming will be theirs,' he said.

The Vice President cited the example of the United States and said, 'In the US, the average annual income of a farming household is higher than that of an average household, that's the kind of direction we should aim for.' (ANI)