New Delhi, Aug 10: Vice-President M Hamid Ansari today demitted office with a word of advice to the present-day government: to allow critics to question them and the need to protect minorities. Recalling his predecessor Dr S Radhakrishnan's words to the then government to protect minorities, a topic on which Dr Ansari has harped on frequently recently, he also underlined as he stepped down from office at the end of a ten-year distinguished tenure, that 'democracy will become a tyranny if it doesn’t allow the Opposition to question the government’s policy'. Earlier, the outgoing Vice-President received generous compliments and praise for his role in handling Elders and the innovations he made in helping the Upper House function more smoothly. Addressing members in the Rajya Sabha before heading to Rashtrapati Bhawan to meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Dr Ansari said the Chair was like a referee/umpire but without becoming a player of the House, and described it as a creation of the Constitution. He concluded by thanking the members, staff and Secretary General Shumsher Sharief for their cooperation. (Eds: pick up suitably from earlier series) UNI
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