With population over a billion people, Republic India is the worlds largest Democracy. And for all obvious reasons it is a cumbersome task to govern a Country like India. India, the packet of Diversified cultures, ethnicities, languages and mindsets has always been a mysterious country when it comes to its integrity. It has been 56 years that India was declared a free country. Since then the country is undergoing major changes in terms of Social, Economical, Political and Technological aspects. But, there is one key function of that drives the remaining three. That is nothing but The Political system of India. Around the world there is a growing interest in youth and politics. Some political groups are changing to respond to the growing number of young people who want to affect the political system. Political ideologies appealing to youth that were once considered “fringe” beliefs are becoming mainstreamed, and more young people are associating themselves with non-popular political parties. More young people than ever before are actually becoming engaged in local community campaigns and other political activities. Youth can change the world through politics by becoming actively, meaningfully and substantially involved throughout political parties and beyond. India is certainly a young country, but its leaders aren’t: this paradox remains as we push into a new decade this year. While 50% Indians are 28 years old or less, the average age of their representatives in the Lok Sabha is currently 55- pushing close to the government’s retirement age of 60. Rajya Sabha members, of course, are even older with an average age of 63. Apart from the usual divides of Indian society- caste, religion- which , arguably, the politics of the last year has exacerbated rather than bridged, there could be another divide that’s less discussed, the rift between the old and young.
Advocating for youth mainstreaming can allow young people to change the world by creating new awareness, opportunities, policies, systems and cultures that foster youth engagement. In political parties, youth mainstreaming could allow for children and youth to affect democratic representation even in parties that would deny them the right to vote or otherwise become engaged. But this could be India’s ‘OK, boomer’ moment as well- with the question of how much its politics caters only to the jaded preoccupations of the old as opposed to the interests of young people, becoming increasingly salient. Perhaps the decade opening this year will bridge the vast gap between the two. In recent past we have seen that the emergence of youth into politics have brought in new spirit of enthusiasm and confidence among people. The skepticism that leaders are born is no more valid these days. As we know that ‘leaders need not do different things, it would be sufficient if they can do things differently’. And this is what we need now. We need young fresh minds to come into politics who strive to make the country better.
Till now we have only seen most of the young leaders especially of high profile have taken up the inheritance of their predecessors and joined the politics. But then there is one thing in common of the young leaders today, they influence the youth of the country. Their personality influences people who often look up to them as role models. It is not so long that Rahul Gandhi stepped in to politics, but we have seen a fresh wave of thoughts which have come along with him. Same is the case with Jyotiraditya Scindia and Omar Abdulah. They have been crucial for the parties they work for. And consequently we see more and more youth joining into politics which is a good sign.Towards the end of last year students began mobilising and agitating across India in mostly peaceful protests, many for the first time. This included students from even India’s elite, otherwise apolitical institutions- IITs, IIMs, NLSIU- as they grow more concerned about their future. Far from the government’s portrayal of their protests as being orchestrated by Congress or other more sinister forces, they look more like a spontaneous upwelling of young people’s anguish at their voices and interests being left out of the political discourse, with established (and somewhat moribund) political prayers like Congress struggling to catch up. Young people are interested in issues such as economy, jobs, education, equal rights and opportunities for all- ill served by successive governments. The constitutional verities they learn about in school and college are flouted in political practice- such as CAA that provoked many of their current protests.
The people of the nation also seek some new leadership which they can trust upon. One could agree that while a certain left-wing populism had dominated Indian policy making for a long time since Independence-causing India to underachieve relative to its potential- today we see a right-wing populist backlash that is equally unproductive and is ending up polarising the country. Perhaps, only the young can deliver us from the toxic politics of the last decade spilling over (and growing worse) in this one. Although India’s Constitution is by and large a liberal document Indian politics hasn’t really seen the emergence of a centrist, liberal, moderate alternative- the Swatantra party died stillborn.
The time has come for the youth to step forward and take up the responsibility from the octogenarian politicians. Now that we know, that the impact of young leaders on the growth of a Country is crucial it is not to be ignored that there has to be right balance between the experienced and youth. Hence increasing number of young politicians could certainly be a new dawn and as a result the 2020s could change this story- if the young are given a voice and allowed to go beyond the political difference of opinion of the old.
