Mumbai, Mar 6 (PTI) Good governance demands fiscal prudence and not populism, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Thursday.

He said a national debate was required to take note of the shift from democracy to "emocracy", which he defined as "emotion-driven policies and discourses that threaten good governance".

Delivering the inaugural address at the first 'Murli Deora Memorial Dialogues' on the theme 'Leadership and Governance', the VP asserted that "populism is bad economics" and emphasised that "once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis".

"The central factor must be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily because that affects their productivity," he said while expressing deep concern over the emergence of appeasement politics and placatory strategies across the political spectrum.

"If there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state's ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario. Election is important in democracy but not the end of it," he said.

Dhankhar called upon the leadership of all political parties to review this trend since such electoral promises will come at the cost of capex expenditure of the state.

Some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, he pointed out.

However, the VP emphasised that the Constitution, while giving every citizen the right to equality, also has provisions for affirmative governance and affirmative action to bestow reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the economically weaker segments.

"That is sanctified. There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy," he said.

Good leadership can take a call on where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine, the VP asserted.

The Vice President said millions of illegal migrants were causing a demographic upheaval in the country, and they are making a huge demand on health and education services.

"They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where nations were swept of their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions," the VP pointed out.

Expressing deep concern over mass conversions through allurements, the Vice-President remarked that the malaise is far more severe than COVID, adding that the marginalized, the tribal, the weak become easy prey.

"The Indian Constitution gives freedom of faith. But if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is, according to me, defacing freedom of faith," he said.

Asserting that the sovereignty of 'We the People' must not be diluted, Dhankhar said Bharat, which is home to one-sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest, most vibrant, and functional democracy.

"Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from the village to the national level. Our Constitution's Preamble indicates 'We the People' as the foundational source and premise of governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals the purpose of governance as Justice, Equality, and Fraternity for all," he said.

The VP said the contours of 'We the People', the ultimate repository of sovereignty, must be appreciated since it is a sovereignty that "we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away".

Dhankhar hailed Murli Deora as one of the finest public figures in politics who nurtured friendships all his life and had no adversaries.

The VP said Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking.

"He approached the highest court of the land and sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking in public places. The life of Murli Deora was a testament to the idea of leadership. That this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least, and the lonely," Dhankhar opined. PTI VT BNM