Hyderabad: Making a strong pitch for greater youth participation in politics, chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday announced that a special session of the Telangana legislative assembly and legislative council would be convened in the first week of Aug to pass a resolution seeking a reduction in the minimum age for contesting assembly and Lok Sabha elections from 25 years to 21 years.Addressing students, ministers, MPs, MLCs, MLAs and party leaders at Necklace Road, Revanth said the future belongs to Gen Z and that young people should have a greater role in governance and decision-making.“The resolution will be sent to the central govt. I am appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look at Germany and Great Britain where youth can become the prime minister and president at the age of 18, and in Singapore the age eligibility is 21 years to become the prime minister.
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The Centre should make a constitutional amendment to reduce the MLA and MP election age to 21 years,” Revanth said.The chief minister participated in a candlelight rally organised from People’s Plaza to the Indira Gandhi statue in support of students who were allegedly lathicharged at Jantar Mantar and those who died following the NEET paper leak controversy.Claiming that the victory in the agitation against the BJP-led govt belonged entirely to the youth, Revanth said Gen Z compelled Modi to bow to public pressure and ensure the resignation of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan.“I promise you that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will fight on your behalf in Parliament for a constitutional amendment to reduce the minimum age to 21 years. I will talk to AICC leaders and INDIA alliance partners to give the education portfolio to a youth leader once the constitutional amendment is passed and Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister. The Gen Z can raise their own issues in Parliament. Portfolios like IT and industries should also go to Gen Z,” he said.Revanth argued that if young people could serve as IAS and IPS officers and administer the country, they should also be allowed to represent themselves in Parliament. Pointing out that Gen Z constitutes nearly 30% of the population but has less than 1% representation in Parliament, he said the imbalance must be corrected.He also praised the youth for standing up against what he termed the misuse of central agencies such as the ED, IT and CBI against opposition leaders, asserting that political parties had merely supported a movement led by students and young people.“This tsunami must not stop with the resignation of Pradhan. It must continue until the cases booked against agitating students are withdrawn completely and that compensation is paid to the families of those who died by suicide following the NEET question paper leak,” Revanth said.
