The average age of the cabinet ministers in the Manmohan Singh government is 65 years of which 14 ministers including the Prime Minister are over 70 years of age. Just one minister is in the 40s while the average age of the council of ministers is 60 years.
Contrast this with the Prime Minister of Great Britain who is 45 years old, and the President of the United States of America is 50 years. The three youngest ministers of state in the Manmohan Singh government are under 35 years and all three of them are the children of influential politicians.
Rahul Gandhi at the age of 41 years does not want to take up any ministerial position in the government as he feels he is too young and not ready to take the responsibility yet.
Unfortunately, the youngsters in Indian politics have little to offer to the government except their lineage. Most of them are the sons and daughters of politicians who see electoral politics as extension of their fiefdoms. They rarely speak in parliament and have never been seen taking up social issues.
The only thing they seem to be aware of are their exaggerated sense of entitlement attending well-orchestrated meetings and giving speeches which are tutored. In case they do speak out spontaneously, it is always to retract back their statements as they have no independent stand on contentious issues.
The youth outfits of political parties like Youth Congress of the Congress party and the Yuva Morcha of the BJP have turned out to be event managers organizing events around the country with no set agenda. Youth party elections have turned nurseries for introducing children and spouses of elected politicians.
Their meetings and seminars don’t espouse ideas but turn out to be well organized parades and discussions that have little to do with youth concerns. There is no cut and thrust of new ideas that can shape the minds of a new India.
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