PANAJI: Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the youth to shun negativism and not to encourage violence. He also advised the youth to academically study issues and then form their opinion on issues like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), triple talaq, abrogation of Article 370, etc. “May it be article 370, triple talaq or even the CAA. You must academically study first and then have your opinion. You should not only rely on the newspapers but also go through the good work done by people and also take advantage of social media,” he advised.
He was speaking at the 32nd annual convocation ceremony of Goa University at Kala Academy hall, Panaji. Also, present on the occasion were Governor and Goa University Chancellor Satya Pal Malik and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, among others.
In all, 10,670 students received their degrees at the Convocation ceremony. Of these, 8,569 were undergraduates, 1,894 postgraduates, 130 post-graduate diplomas and 78 PhDs. Interestingly, over 55 per cent of the students who received their degrees were women.
Addressing the gathering, Naidu said that girls excelling in their respective fields is a happy trend and it should be encouraged. He said that India wants to have peaceful co-existence with all its neighbouring countries.
“We want to have peaceful co-existence with all, including with our troubling neighbour who is aiding, abetting, training and funding terror, day in and day out. Terror is the enemy of humanity. Let the world come together and take strong action against those nations which are aiding funding training terrorism,” he said. “If you want to progress you need to have peace. And we cannot allow any outside interference in India’s internal affairs. Some people are trying to give us lessons also. Thank you. But we are capable of solving our problems. We should tell them,” he said.
He expressed that it is a positive sign that in recent times people have started talking about the importance of the Constitution. “Every citizen must follow the Constitution in letter and spirit. Also, everyone should follow Constitutional methods to achieve his or her goals. We should not only be concerned about fundamental rights, but also about our duties. Constitutional rights and duties must be performed by one and all,” he said.
Stating that dissent is the essence of democracy, he said, “Dissent is okay. But not destruction or disintegration of the country. Nobody can be allowed to speak against the Nation. That has to be understood by one and all.”
He also said that there is a need to ensure that man does not tamper with nature but learns to co-exist in harmony with nature for a greener, life-enhancing future. Naidu stressed the need to eradicate social evils like child labour, terrorism, communalism and corruption.
“Corruption is eating into the vitals of our system and democracy. Youth must be in the forefront of fighting corruption,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Goa University Vice-Chancellor Varun Sahani said, “Goa University is very fortunate to possess a beautiful campus of 403 acres with enough land for the development of the University for future generations. We are determined to create a green campus second to none. Our campus plastic-free.”