Don't undermine constitutional bodies, says Vice-president

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday cautioned against undermining constitutional bodies, saying issues should be sorted out through internal mechanisms.

The vice-president, who was addressing management graduates at a convocation here, emphasised that patriotism does not mean only saying 'Vande Mataram' or 'Jai Hind' and said it also meant supporting each other.

"Institution can be anything - a university, the judiciary, CVC, CAG, the Election Commission, parliament and state legislatures. We should not undermine our institutions,'' he said.

If there is something wrong, there should be a mechanism internally and it should be discussed at appropriate forums rather than trying to undermine them outwardly - from the outside," he said.

Everyone should understand this in the present context, he added.

In an apparent reference to controversies over nationalism, Naidu said, "A big discussion is going on now on patriotism. Patriotism does not mean only saying 'Vande Mataram'