Populist policies and the role of religion in politics will continue unless the youth become a change agent. The youth is wary of voting owing to divisive politics and so, exercising right to franchise should be made compulsory. These were some of the opinions expressed on Sunday by policy makers during the ‘At Road to 2019’, a panel discussion at the Indian School of Business.
“Religion and populist policies will continue, madam. You be rest assured. Because unless and until you people stop voting for these parties, these parties will play,” Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi said. He was responding to a question from the audience.
While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator N. Ramchander Rao claimed that the youth and first-time voters are with his party, he also stated that the Congress’ claims on unemployment levels are inflated. He claimed that Skill Indian and Startup India have been successes.
Pegging the youth’s aversion to cast their vote to ‘divisive politics’, Telugu Desam Party Parliamentarian K. Rammohan Naidu said, “The youth are slightly repulsive of voting which could be because of the way the scenario is advancing. There are divisive politics, religion and communalism.”
He emphasised that NOTA option would force political parties to field the right candidate.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi parliamentarian K. Vishweshwar Reddy opined that if NOTA exists, voting should be made compulsory. Underscoring the importance of the youth casting their vote, he said both BJP and TRS have come to power on account of their vote. He described demonetisation as having good intent, but poor implementation.
Senior Congress leader N Manohar said that social media has given youth a voice by which they can air their opinion. Urging the younger generation to participate in the political process, he said, “You must come out and vote and that is the only way you can make change.”
Trading barbs
The panel debated on tax-payers’ money being spent on religious festivals and pilgrimages. They also traded barbs on the rhetoric of communities, both the majority and minority, being in danger.
While Mr. Rao said that secularism must not be at the cost of the majority, Mr Owaisi countered it by saying that Hindus, the majority ‘cannot be in khatra (danger)’. While Mr Rao countered this by stating that pandits were driven out of Kashmir, launching a salvo the Hyderabad parliamentarian said that the BJP had not relocated a single pandit while it was in power in Kashmir.
The session was moderated by journalist T.S. Sudhir.