Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday expressed his shock and concern that former Finance Minister P Chidambaram had described the three new criminal justice laws as “drafted by part timers,” and thereby labelled members of Parliament as “part timers.”

The Vice President was addressing the 12th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram

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Without naming Mr Chidambaram, he said every member of Parliament has opportunity to contribute on the floor of the house. The senior Congress member of the Rajya Sabha, “with his great background as finance minister” had not spoken on the proposed laws when they were being discussed and was now saying the new criminal justice laws were drafted by part timers.

Mr Dhankhar said not only he, even his colleagues belonging to the legal fraternity had not spoken on the proposed laws. He had failed to perform his Constitutional duty and obligation. How could he now make such comments, and this was like running down the nation and its institutions, the Vice President said.

He said “I am shocked beyond words,” and told the students and faculty of the IIST that “please be aware of the minds who deliberately as a strategy by way of a narrative try to run down our nation, demean our institutions, our progress, don’t see the writing on the wall, they engage in criticism for the sake of the criticism. I do not have words strong enough to convey such a narrative being set afloat.”

Parliament is the last source of law formulation, he said, and every section of the society is represented there. The Vice President hoped the member world reconsider his derogatory and insulting remarks on members of Parliament and withdraw them.

In his Convocation address, Mr Dhankhar said the institute can take pride in being Asia’s first space university, and he has no doubt, over decades, it will be the most prestigious global space university.

He said the university has been designed with a comprehensive vision; IIST provides an integrated educational experience spanning undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and post-doctoral programs in a very distinguished category of knowledge and learning.

“I am firmly committed to our belief that education is the most impactful transformational mechanism of change. It fosters equality, antidotes inequities. Its mechanism of positive change enables our youth to embrace challenges and avail opportunities that are aplenty in our times,” the Vice-President said.

He said alumni of every institute constitute a think tank, and that think tank can create wonders. This needs to be exemplified and emulated by alumni of other prestigious institutions. Mr Dhankhar said he had long believed that “we must have a confederation of alumni associations.”

“If there is a confederation of alumni associations of prestigious institutions like yours, like IIT, IIM, JNU, and many more, trust me, it will be a global think tank, and it can contribute to our policy-making. A beginning has to be made somewhere; no place is better than this,” he said.

Infrastructure is vital but it is the human resource, the strength of the faculty that determines the spinal strength of an institution, he said. “You are blessed to have such remarkable and capable faculties,” he said.

Mr Dhankhar said as rightly indicated by the Chancellor, don’t think this is the end of learning. Learning never stops. “As long as you live, you will have to continue learning. Once you stop learning, your downward slide will be expedited,” he said.

“Even to maintain a static position, you will have to learn, and when you are in an upsurge mode, you have to learn even more. Learning is a part of our life; it never stops,” the Vice President said.

Mr Dhankhar said India has traversed significantly in the last decade. And during this decade, there were global challenges and a pandemic. Bharat has been a shining star, and there has been global recognition as a favourite place for opportunity and destination on the global platform.

“Recognition has come from bodies like the IMF, World Bank, and the like. This creates for you a soothing ecosystem where you can fully exploit your talent and realise your aspirations and dreams,” he said.

He said “you are the largest stakeholders in governance. When we talk of Viksit Bharat, we talk of your involvement in 2047. Many of us may not be here, but you will be in the driver’s seat.”