Political Covid: Vice-President Dhankhar on Trump’s ‘USAID’ remarks

After US President Donald Trump’ equated USAID funding to India with a kickbacks scheme, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said “political Covid” had infiltrated Indian society to destroy its democracy.

“The latest that has come as a shocking expose are the remarks of the US President. He said fiscal muscle was used. Funds were pumped in to doctor and manipulate Indian election results. He has gone to the extent of saying that someone else was sought to be elected. To elect is the sole right of Indians. Anyone doctoring or manipulating that process is undermining our democratic values, is subverting our democracy in the process, bringing us under servitude, subservience,” Dhankhar said.

Addressing the valedictory ceremony of the fifth Rajya Sabha Internship Programme at the Vice-President’s enclave today, he stated, “Time has come to thoroughly get into this malaise, this political COVID infiltrated in our society to destroy our democracy. All those involved in this sinister activity, who benefited out of this structured pernicious strategy must be shamed and brought to book, fully exposed.”

Cautioning participants against attempts to tarnish Indian constitutional institutions, Dhankhar stated, “Our institutions are facing a structured taint, a facet of wokeism. Our constitutional functionaries are sought to be ridiculed…. Be it the institution of the President, Vice-President or Prime Minister. These are not political posts; these are institutions. People fail to show even minimum respect.”

Dhankhar said his heart bleeds when the President, the first tribal woman to hold the high office, is shamed, ridiculed.