Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said that the structured use of charity to influence the faith of the beneficiary has serious consequences in a democracy.
According to him, assistance to the needy, marginalised, and vulnerable should be without any strings attached.
"Charity, assistance, or such handholding needs to be with no strings attached. Our civilisational ethos tells us never speak of charity. Charity is never to be claimed. You do it, and you forget about it," Mr Dhankhar said.
He was addressing students at Adichunchanagiri University in BG Nagara in Mandya.
Former Prime Minister HD Devegowda, Jagadguru Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami and Swami Parmatmananda Saraswati were among those who were present on the occasion.
"Charity putting freedom of faith in captivity is a cause of concern. When you influence the faith of the needy, the marginalised, the vulnerable, things become really very critical," Mr Dhankhar opined.
He added that such actions could have serious consequences on the spirit of nationalism and constitutional values.
The Vice President praised Adichunchanagiri Shikshana Trust saying that with 26 Shakha Maths across the world and over 500 educational institutions under it including schools for the blind, deaf, and dumb, this institution's service to the marginalised is exemplary and it indeed is a befitting response to critics of Sanatana Dharma.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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