The 15th loksabha has definitely aroused anticipations among the masses about introducing a refreshingly new breed of leaders who seem to have all the passion, vigor and opinions to bring about a revolution for this' largest democracy' which has been bedouining itself with some octogenarians largely, since its independence.

The new generation of politicians are certainly a relief for those 54% of us who are under the age of 25 and who are heaving with ideas of engineering our structures to make this country a better place to live in. so should this country assume that it has found a voice in the form of what we are popularly calling the 'Young Turks'. The question still persists whether the young face of parliament change the way India is governed.

Former president Dr. Kalam once said,"If India is to become developed by 2020; it will do so only by riding on the shoulders of the young". However, what we are asking for is not removing the old political stalwarts, because we need them as much as we need the younger generation, but the old root should accommodate the new shoot as well. The significance of the experience of veteran leaders can't be denied, however there should be a balance between these two.

Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a new youth icon with very strong credentials in his favour regarding his work in youth congress, NSUI, his strong advocacy for waving off the loans on the farmers who own less than five acres of land, his ideas of democratizing congress, his efforts to know the true India better (demonstrated by his rather debated efforts of working as labourer and spending time with militant in a village in amethi). This has portrayed him as a possible future national leader of some substance.

The other protagonists of the new scenario too are talking of secularization (the fierce debate by Omar Abdullah, widely watched on you tube is a point in case), economic reforms and change in the social structures so that all the benefits reach to all the sections of the society. A noticeable phenomenon in the whole process is that the young leaders seem to identify with each other in the terms of the ideas they share and the changes they want to bring about as reflected by their statements. Rahul Gandhi's friendship with Omar Abdullah and Scandia on a personal level proves the point.

Most of these youngsters have been exposed to institutions of international repute like Wharton, Berkley, Cambridge etc. which, thus, loads them even more with responsibilities and expectations, as they are expected to bring about changes and work efficiency because of their global exposure. However, the true political participation of youth has come from the rural India and not the English educated urban middle class.

Statistics note that there are 5.5 lakhs panchayats and nearly 70% of the elected representatives of these rural bodies are below the age of 40 years. This can be interpreted as the realization of the true potential of the Indian youth symbolizing the gain of confidence by the youth as we hardly saw any youth movement with any impact on the mainstream politics, in the recent affairs like the case of the farmers committing suicide.

Thus, we conclude that although the 15th loksabha has given way to some new faces, but it would be too early to jump to any conclusion without waiting and watching patiently, and judging their credentials and performances separately, in the long run. These youngsters, although are inexperienced, but seem to possess the vigor and zeal to take India to new heights. However we need to keep in mind is that what we need is young ideas and not young leaders necessarily.

There is a general apprehension that the new breed of leaders will not be able to identify with the real India due to the kind of environment they have been brought up in. their failure is feared too due to the uncertainties they will be facing through their political career in the future. But the only possible solution for this problem seems to be that these politicians will have to reflect a mix of modern as well as traditional outlook in their work and the policies they adopt, to suit the Indian situations.

By

Swathi

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