Introduction Politics is a practise any theory of influencing other people on a civic or individual level. More narrowly it refers to achieving and accesing positions of governance-organized control over human comunity,particularly a state. A variety of methods in employed in politics which include promoting its own political views amoung people,negotiation with other political subject,making laws and exercising force including warfare against adversaries.
Politics is exercused on a wide range of social level,from clans and tribes of traditional society,through modern local goverments,companies and institutions upto sovereign states to international level. Importance of Youth in Indian politics In 2004, 50% of the Indian population was aged 30 years or younger; however, only 35 out of 543 Lok Sabha members (0. 06%) were aged under 35. Nevertheless, a World Values Survey conducted by the World bank showed that the proportion of people aged 18–24 who identified themselves as “very” or “rather” interested in politics was around 50%, an increase of 15% since 1990.
Bharat Uday Mission is one outfit of IITians who are planning to enter in politics at a certain point of time. These aren’t sufficient enough to change the trend of present political situation in India. Many such ideologies have to be developed right from the schooling and certain schools have taken this initiative like TVSMHSS, Madurai. All major political parties have youth and student wings, such as Indian Youth Congress, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Democratic Youth Federation Of India Where are youth in Indian politics? Not many.
The vast bulk of these legislators are elderly or middle-aged men, pot-bellied, not highly educated, and not terribly tuned in to the dynamics of globalization. There are only 44 women in the new parliament. Only about 35 parliamentarians are under the age of 35. But more than 50 percent of India’s population of 1. 1 billion consists of those below 30 years of age. And nearly a half of the total population is female. This may be an ancient culture dating back 5,000 years, but India is a young society. The newly elected Lok Sabha is largely geriatric.
Another septuagenarian, Dr Manmohan Singh, is about to become prime minister. So where are the young people in today’s national politics? Other than scions of political dynasties such as the 33-year-old Mr Rahul Gandhi – son of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi – Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia, a member of the Gwalior royal family, and Mr Milind Deora, son of Mr Murli Deora, the Congress Party chieftain of Mumbai, few youths seem to actively participate in electoral politics. Why is that? One answer lies in the culture.
While India’s Western-influenced private sector and academe have encouraged the entry of talented, ambitious young men and women, retail politics has largely relied on traditional local leaders who have paid their political dues at the grassroots. The culture venerates seniority. The culture endows older people with canniness that may not necessarily exceed that of younger leaders. Indeed, the culture dictates that older people be given respect by the masses. India, well into its 58th year as an independent nation, continues to be a culture characterized by overwhelming deference for older people.
Another answer may lie in the absence of specific institutions for the training of young people for leadership and public service. While national competitive exams are held each year for induction into the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Foreign Service, there’s no equivalent for politics. Organizations such as the Youth Congress and the extreme rightwing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) exist mainly to draw young people in as minions for more established party figures. Still another answer could be found in a perception that many young people have of politics as a corrupt business.
It typically takes around US$2 million to run as a candidate for a parliamentary constituency – not the kind of money easily available to untested young people unless they are supported by shadowy underworld figures or by ‘soft money’ from industrialists with their own agenda for governance. Political funding in India – unlike in much of the West – continues to be a murky business. Young people could also be put off by the personal compromises that Indian politics requires. For example, it is well known that women candidates often must offer sexual favours in exchange for the patronage of political mandarins, who are usually male.
The perquisites of power available to elected parliamentarians are so extensive that such favours are considered trivial and casual. However titillating, these stories can scarcely encourage a young generation that may want less sleaze and more idealism in national politics. Perhaps something along these lines could be established in India, where’s there’s no shortage of educated, sophisticated young people in all fields of endeavour. A nonpartisan training institution could be set up, funded by industry and supported by various political parties, to create a cadre of young people for leadership positions.
Perhaps it could be called the Institute of Public Service. It could certainly inculcate in young people the notion that politics, the art of the possible, need not be reduced to the lowest common denominator. This is not to suggest that only India’s young people are in need of more opportunities and training for leadership. Even veteran politicians could benefit from the equivalent of refresher courses that brand-name business institutions such as Harvard Business School offer for mid-career executives.
In this era of galloping globalization, the ruling classes need to be educated that transparency, ethical behaviour, and responsiveness in governance aren’t optional. The aspirations of India’s young people need better representation in the corridors of power. Why should national stewardship be entrusted mainly to those long in the tooth and grey in the hair, especially in a society as young and energetic such as India?
Why would young and educated youth join Indian Politics ? India is the largest democracy in the world. In order to run this huge conglomerate, India needs mass support, intellectuals, fresh and experienced leaders and obviously new and innovative political game plans. In this twenty first century, every country is on the verge of becoming a rat race. Globalization and free economy have made the path to progress and success. It’s time to mobilize and utilize the mass workforce. It’s time to plan the development chart and chalk out the social and economic reformation. India has a very complex and matured political background. There are several political parties with different agendas.
Most of the political parties are run by veteran politicians. Their political activities and party influence have made the politics synonymous with power. Many politicians take advantage of this power and apply it for their own interest. This has created a wave of corruption, deep rooted in the origin of Indian politics. The system has become rigid and matured. NO-one wants to take the risk of changing the way the system works. The ultimate victims are the mass population. The so-called Political heroes are unable to meet the expectations of the common man in India.
But this is the time to bring change. A nation needs an aimed and strategic direction to attain its growth. India also shouldn’t be behind in this race. Young and educated people form the backbone of a growing nation. Since they are young, their minds are fresh and innovative. They are more prone to take risk and accept challenges. They are less vulnerable to corruption. Therefore their work is inevitable for the growth of a nation. Their spirit and courage can contribute to the development of the society.
Today, India needs this youth force to come into politics and take this as an opportunity to work for the system. Starting from year old cast systems to poverty, there are several key issues that need to be focused on in India. The most important step towards progress is rural development. A combined, dedicated and honest plan is required to attain this target and that’s where India needs its fresh and young educated minds to come forward. India needs both experienced and young talent to work together towards socio-economic development.
In the recent Political election, we have seen the trend of involving more and more young minds in the party, especially the Congress party, under the leadership of Mr Rahul Gandhi, who has motivated a pool of young and educated people to join politics and work for the benefit of this nation. Youth constitutes a larger portion of the Indian population, and if Indian political parties can inspire this talented pool of resources in the right direction, the world will see a new India under the name “India Inc. ” Role of youth in Politics.
Rahul Gandhi, Agatha Sangma, Varun Gandhi & Sachin Pilot have a common thread running through them. Can you tell me what? For most of us they are the young face of Indian politics. Dig Deep! There is one another connect. They all are scions of political families. A post election analysis of the recently constituted 15th Lok Sabha shows that 50 of the 81 young MPs come from political families. That’s a whopping 62 per cent who aren’t exactly self-made. Few more facts: The average age of the 15th Lok Sabha at 53. 03 years, makes it the third oldest House.
Just marginally better than the 13th LS, the oldest House at 55. 5 years. All these data are from a country that boasts of or I would say hides behind the fact that “Half of its population is below 24 years of age”. Why is there a dearth of youth in Indian politics? Why even in an era of change, India remains a young country led by old people? In fact Youth representation during elections is mainly limited to rallies & processions and characterized by mindless activities resulting in violence and mayhem. Why the educated Indian youth is not willing to take up politics as career?
Do they lack leadership skills? No, we have enough examples in corporate world. Is Indian youth devoid of social activism? No, the Jessica Lal case, the Jaagore campaigns are the cases in point. Well the main culprit is the mindset towards politics. “It’s a dirty world”. Well for your kind information, it is this dirty world that takes all the decisions that matter, takes all the steps that affects the all and sundry. What can be done to improve this grim scenario? Ban all those above 40 yrs from contesting elections. No, absolutely not.
What we can do, is have a retirement age and minimum physical & mental fitness criteria for the politicians and make election funding process transparent so that the massive entry barrier created by money power can be taken care of. Also educational institutes should include courses on political leadership. After all running a country is as important as running a company if not more. But all these steps would lead to nothing if the educated youth doesn’t come forward and fights for a change in the political system. Just casting your votes is not enough, be a part of this process.
Or tomorrow we would have no one else to blame. As a famous Hindi poet had once said, “??? ??? ?? , ??? ??? ?? ???? ???? ????? , ?? ????? ?? , ??? ?????? ???? ?? ????? “, (those who are mute spectators of injustice are also responsible for it). Why Indian youth are not interested in politics? Being young is often the age of being impatient. When something is too complicated to decipher, they tend to stay away from it. Indian politics has become a constant push and pull of religion, caste, corruption, and battles the ‘youth’ does not consider worth their time.
The opposition opposes just for the heck of it, and meaningful governance seems to be losing its way, They study political science as a subject and have done some in depth research on the Indian democracy. it’s actually admirable once you really how difficult it actually is to govern such a complicated nation. “Because politics is very dirty game. Today’s youth is educated and just want a job at the place of doing politics. ” “they have better things to do! ” In a country such as India where close to 70 percentage of the people are illiterate and have no clue of the consequence of electing a political party or a leader.
Those educated who can make a difference by participating in system are running away from it because they know there are no takers for them in the current system. After 50 years of Independence and when time and technology changing so rapidly it is very saddening to see most of the country is still undereducated. When people are illiterate one cannot expect them to understand the policies and ethics of a political party. This has been a bane for the current breed of political parties who just work hard to grab the power and fill their coffins. They do not want people to get empowered and they want them to be there as along as possible.
