Three young politicians from across party lines came together on the Young Makers conclave organised by ShethePeople.TV in association with Newsd, on Wednesday. Ankit Lal, (AAP), Nupur Sharma (BJP) and Gaurav Pandhi (Congress) were panellists on a session titled, ‘Politics for Good’ moderated by Mayur Shekhar Jha, founder, Newsd. The trio discussed and deliberated on ways to inspire the youth and create an impact.
To Jha’s question, ‘Can young India transform politics?’, the trio deliberated ways to urge the youth of India into policy and decision making.”Change is the ultimate truth,” remarked Ankit Lal as he shared his journey of being a software engineer and being motivated by the India Against Corruption (IAC) and Anna Hazare movement.
Stating that young India is now even more willing to get into decision-making process, Lal said that struggle is a part and parcel of the job, and one can not do anything to subvert it. Nupur Sharma said, “There is no shortcut to success,” and talked about her journey into politics. She narrated how she quit her job, joined ABVP and then continued her work because she believed that one must try to change the way the country is working.
When questioned about the lack of female faces in BJP and Congress, Sharma said that it was all the more easy for females now to enter politics as her party “does not believe in family hierarchy.” Calling for legalisation of lobbying in India, Sharma talked about the struggle faced by people who enter the field and work part-time jobs to sustain a living.
Gaurav Pandhi, another emerging politician who quit a hefty pay package in the financial sector to join politics, also pitched in and talked about the need to fight “casteism”, and the prevailing acrimony and mudslinging in this area. He too was motivated during the Anna movement to take a stand for the Congress, and spoke of the value of social media that has enabled him and many others to connect more and more with people.
When questioned about the dismal scenario of student elections where caste and muscle power still plague the scenario, Sharma said that “Elections are still fought on caste basis” in DUSU and that “lack of funds” is the reason behind the parties not performing well.
