Are Opinions Enough?

Written By – Rahul Anand

When it comes to political affairs, everyone seems to have an opinion. No matter the religion, cultural background, level of education, or age, most individuals have their own unique take on the relationship between people and politics. What seems paradoxical is the fact, that despite being opinion oriented and having a zeal for debating any given policy issue, the voices and opinions of youths are absent from the political domain. This makes me wonder whether our political system is really democratic! How democratic are we really if the majority of population of the country lies under the age of 40, but elects a majority of people above 60 years of age, to power?

The answer to this problem lies not in the incompetence of youth but the perception that youth do not regard electoral politics as a potential arena for change, but as a corrupt swamp where change is unlikely to occur, henceforth the negligence of youth in politics.

Furthermore, they typically feel a sense of disconnect from the swirl of politics pertaining to the world around them, and believe it to be trivial for them to get involved on the grounds of “change”. Correspondingly, this polluted outlook on formal politics has been the main cause for the prevalent stereotype of disengaged and apolitical young people. With this being said, it is imperative that the youth of the country participate in politics, else the gap between the policies of State and the demands and expectations of the young minds will widen, making this a vicious circle! The youth of modern India are aware of the problems facing our country and the world at large. Given a chance, they would be willing to change the political condition of the country for the better. The country desperately needs youth in politics who are energetic, enthusiastic, pragmatic, and diligent. There is no doubt that our country has progressed a great deal since the time of independence, but I’m sure our development would have proceeded much faster if we had had some young torchbearers to light the way. Having opinions, debating on issues, and rummaging through libraries to gain knowledge won’t be enough. Youth have to be the flagbearers of change in order to revamp the current political system in India!