Allahabad: Congress general secretary Rahul
Gandhi on Monday asked the country`s youth to take active interest
in politics saying participation of young men and women was
essential to "clean up the political system".
Addressing more than 500 students at the Motilal Nehru
National Institute of Technology here, Gandhi said India has
"the largest young population across the world" but lamented
that "more than 90 per cent of our youth was deprived of
higher education".
According to students who listened to Gandhi`s brief
speech, the leader highlighted the need for providing "quality
education" to the country`s youth so that it could "compete as
well as connect with the global economy".
"The 21st century is the century of knowledge. We have
immense youth power but we need to equip our youths with
adequate education and skill in order to realise our dreams
and fulfil our aspirations," he said.
Gandhi, whose visit to the city is a part of his two-day
trip during which he intends to take forward his strategy to
induct more young blood into the party also exhorted "young
men and women of the country to come forward, join politics
and clean up the political system".
The Congress general secretary also said he was a votary
of "having students` unions in educational institutions
comprising democratically-elected representatives of the
student community".
The statement assumes significance in the wake of
the demand, especially by Samajwadi Party, for restoration of
students` union at the Allahabad University which was granted
central status in 2005.
Prior to addressing the students, Gandhi inaugurated a
multi-purpose auditorium named after his late father and
former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
PTI
