Youth in politics

Findings of the India Youth Development Index (YDI) and Report 2017 prepared by Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Tamil Nadu, throws up interesting figures for Goa to ponder. The State emerged second best in youth development index among other states in the country and scored high on health, employment, education and was above average in civic participation and social inclusion. However, what is alarming and needs to be looked at is the low rating of youth in politics.
The findings call for introspection from all and sundry. At the root of it is the political activism which has been seriously lacking within the student community. Student leaders have failed to rise up despite having tools like social media platforms to empower them. There are youth wings of political parties, butthe presence and the role of youth leaders in State politics has remained dismal. Goa has been continuously fighting its own issues, battles and politics. Going by the latest trends, it can be surmised youth activism is on a decline and in no way today's generation comes closer to the students' activism of the 80s. The student leaders of that time brought about changes in the system and aspired to be political leaders of the future. We need to introspect on why the current youth is running away from expressing opinions and taking up leadership roles.
One of the loudest cries often heard in political gatherings is that the youth should play a more prominent role in politics and public administration. Youth leaders are required to bring about a change. There are youth leaders across the nation who have led from the front. Hardik Patil at 23 years has been the face of Gujarat's Patel-Patidar community movement since 2015 demanding 10 percent reservation in colleges and state government jobs. JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar at 29 years shot into limelight for standing up against an event held to commemorate the hanging of Afzal Guru, an issue that put the BJP government on the backfoot.
Goa needs leaders of this scale for the future. We have seen youth leaders like Aleixo Sequeira and Mauvin Godinho rise up to become the power ministers in respective eras, but down the line there is no youth leader who has risen to those levels. The State has seen a few young leaders making it to the top either on sheer money power or their close connect with various lobbies. There are virtually no youth who have climbed up the rungs of the political ladder lately purely on the merits of their social work.
In Goa, heavyweight political leaders and their parties have shown more interest in securing vote banks rather than taking a gamble with new and young faces. Youth leaders are not promoted because of the endless political cravings of most of the veteran leaders in Goa for whom retirement is a non-existent term. Parties have been more inclined in having grassroots workers who are used as foot soldiers to drive their agenda. These workers too have remained content in playing second fiddle and never stood up to be future leaders. If Goa's political landscape has to change, youth leaders have to emerge and demand their space.