Vitiated political climate far more dangerous than climate change: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

Political divisiveness and a vitiated political climate are far more dangerous than climate change, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar observed.

Delivering the inaugural address at the 25th National Conference of Chairpersons of All State Public Service Commission in Bengaluru on Saturday, Dhankhar said if bureaucracy gets ingratiated with the dispensation or emasculated, the nation pays a huge price.

“Our polity at the moment is too divisive, too polarised. Interaction is not taking place at the premium level in political organisations. When it comes to the nation, when the world is in a transformative phase, it is India's century. That century can be fully fructified for people's gain only when we have a calm political atmosphere. We need political fire extinguishers. A political divisiveness, a vitiated political climate is far more dangerous than the climate change we are facing.”

Further, the VP said harmony in polity is not just wishful thinking. "Harmony is imperative. If there is no harmony in polity, if the polity is polarised, deeply divisive, with no communication channels functioning, imagine you are in an earthquake, you are lost and you have no connection with the outside world, things will be terrible for you," said Dhankhar.

"It is the obligation of Public Service Commissions to balance service morale with bureaucratic petitions," he added.

Earlier, the VP cautioned that the appointment of public service commission chairmen could not be driven by patronage, by favoritism.

"There are trends that are visible. I do not wish to reflect on them, but some of them are very painful. We must account ourselves to our conscience. That will be undoing the essence and spirit of the framework of the Constitution,” said Dhankhar.

The VP stated that extensions in service in any form for a particular post were "set back" to those who were in line.

"People devote decades to be in a particular groove. Extension indicates that some individual is indispensable. Indispensability is a myth. Talent abounds in this country. Post-retirement recruitment is a problem. In some states, it has been structured. Employees never retire, particularly those in the premium services. They get a number of ad-hoc nomenclatures. This is not good. Everyone in the country must have due and that due is defined by law. …Any largesse of this kind is antithetical to what was visualised by framers of the Constitution,” said Dhankhar.

Expressing concern over the paper leaks, Dhankhar felt that the menace needed to be curbed. "Paper leakage has become an industry, a commerce. Young boys and girls used to have fear of examinations. Now they have an added fear of paper leakage. The fairness of selection has no meaning if paper leakages occur," said Dhankhar commending the government for bringing in the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024.