Mumbai: Come election season and India sees leaders coming back in action during the campaigns. One such is the Congress leader, Sam Pitroda, who has been making some fierce comments. Pitroda opined that there is a need for youngsters to get into politics. Speaking to media professionals at the Press Club in Mumbai, Pitroda said, “We need younger people in politics. World over there are young people entering the fray and we should follow that suit. People like us (older) should back off and be there when they (young generation) need us.”
Pitroda said, Indians need to debate on this issue. He believes that age limit for contesting elections and being in public life should be between 60 or 65 years. He said, with more older people continuing to hold offices in politics, the more they are denying an opportunity to the next generation. Without mincing words, he added, “My days are over. We must recognise it and more need to accept this stand. It is difficult for people to let go.” Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and upcoming elections, he said, elections are important and there are several concerns that are plaguing the country because of this government. “Employment is a major concern. Congress is capable of generating 100 million jobs in the country,” he said.
During his interaction, he also expressed his concern on fake, paid and other misleading news. Citing the recent example, when certain sections of media played his clip as addressing Indians as monkeys, he said such type of reporting is troublesome. During a session organised by the All India Professionals Congress, on Friday, Pitroda had said, “India is not using the internet connectivity effectively. But you know that is world over, this is a new toy. Suddenly every monkey has been given a new toy and they are fiddling with it.”
Commenting the support of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) garners from non-resident Indians (NRIs), he said, the Indian diaspora in various countries like United States are more concerned about preserving their traditions and that connects them to the BJP and (prime minister Narendra) Modi. They construct temples there as they think the Hindu religion is in danger. On the other hand, the NRIs living the Gulf countries are closer to India and seem to understand struggles in India far better.
