[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Speaking at the ISB’s annual leadership conclave, the vice president defined the ‘portfolio allocation’ of Indian goddesses

Inaugurating a two-day leadership summit at the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Mohali on Friday, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu sought to attribute ‘ministerial portfolios’ to Indian goddesses – Durga as ancient India’s defence minister while Laxmi and Sarawasti were linked with the finance and education ministries respectively.

“From the Puranas, we find that the education minister was goddess Saraswati, defence minister was Durga Devi and finance minister was Laxmi Devi,” Naidu said as he sought to emphasise on how women always enjoyed the highest positions of honour in “our traditions and culture”.

India’s major rivers – Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery, Narmada, Mahanadi, Tapti – were all named after women, Naidu asserted, adding that the country itself was referred to as “Bharat Mata or Mother India”.

As novel as Naidu’s idea of associating Indian goddesses with executive roles to stress on women empowerment may be, the vice president was clearly aware that his comments weren’t in strict adherence to the protocol of the office that he now holds and that his comments – not just the mythological ones but others too that he made at the function – could well be construed as a reflection of the political ideology of the BJP that he represented before being anointed to a constitutional position.

Naidu referred to Ram Rajya, or the rule of god Ram, a phrase synonymous with good governance and often used in political discourses especially by the BJP to hail its regimes.

“Ram Rajya is still hailed as the greatest period of our history because of the ideal governance. But if one talks about it today, it too may be given a communal angle… Mahatma Gandhi once talked about Ram Rajya ‘where there is no deception, exploitation, discrimination or harassment … that is called adarsh (ideal) state’”, Naidu said.

Naidu then conceded that he was not always “politically correct”, possibly his way of admitting that what he had been saying was not in strict compliance of the expectations one has from observations of a man holding the office of India’s vice president.

“I am reminded by people near me that I should not speak from my heart now. I am the vice president of the country. But if I do not speak from my heart, it will get enlarged and it is not good for my health,” he said.

The vice president said there was a debate on “growing intolerance” and freedom of speech for some time but that it was wrong to term society as growing more intolerant – endorsing once again a line often pushed by the BJP.

“Some people expressed their views on Afzal Guru … in a democracy we have a right to express our views. But these views have to be within the constitutional framework. There have to be limitations on freedom of speech and expression,” he said.

The vice president’s comments, however, did not go down too well with a section of Twitter users.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]