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Magazine
Youngistan speaks ON THE JOB
Vision for the future
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They are all young and have just served their first term in the Parliament. They talk about their achievements, the things that went wrong and their vision for the country.
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Milind Deora, MP, Mumbai South.
When I took a decision to get into politics, my whole reason for doing so was to change parts of the system that I thought were inefficient or fundamentally flawed.
So far in my five years of politics, there have been many instances where in Parliament, through the use of my public voice, in the media and other forums, I’ve been able to criticise and make suggestions to the governments, both State and centre, both Congress-ruled governments. When you become part of the executive and government you can bring change within your ministry and department but you still have to toe the line of the government because it’s a collective responsibility. So I quite enjoy being am MP, I am accountable to my constituents and I have the ability to take on my government and hold them accountable.
There are a few issues that I am very passionate about, national security, and urban development. I believe things like RTI can go a long way in improving the system, making it more transparent, more participatory which is why I spoke in Parliament on the Right to Information Bill.
There are many things I’d like to see happen. For instance in our Parliamentary defence committee, we worked to push for more indigenisation in defence production because India today is a net importer of about five billion US dollars of defence equipment annually and we are subsidising the economies of Russia or Israel. We should generate employment here by building strong defence companies in India.
Granting access to education for all is still a mammoth job. Very few countries have successfully done this except maybe Cuba. It’s clear you need a socialist model for that. It can’t be driven by market dynamics. My vision would be to get political parties together on a few issues to see eye to eye and realise that doing something together need not be a zero sum game but it can be an area where everyone, all parties can gain.
As told to Rahi Gaikwad
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Sachin Pilot, MP, Dausa, Rajasthan.
My first five years as a member of Parliament have been very productive; both inside and outside the House. Apart from looking after my constituency, membership of the Lok Sabha also gave me a platform to participate in the law-making process, articulate my views on policies and speak for my party.
However, it is unfortunate that proceedings were often disrupted; thereby preventing meaningful discussion on key issues. Particularly unfortunate was the way the Budget was passed without a proper discussion.
Optimist
Since I am an optimist, these disruptions did not frustrate me as I realised that this is also part of the political process. By and large, the experience has been good. It has also been a very humbling experience; particularly the mandate I got from the constituency where my family has worked for 30 years.
I have to thank the Congress party for bringing so many young people to the forefront of national politics. Five years ago, you were not using young and MP in the same breath but now young MPs are constantly being talked about. As for my priorities, the fact is that the gap between the rich and the poor is widening with economic progress. It should be our endeavour as policy makers to bridge this gap. And, that can happen only if the government — both at the Centre and in the States — intervenes at the appropriate time to ensure equitable distribution of resources.
AS TOLD TO ANITA JOSHUA
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Priya Dutt, MP, Mumbai Northwest,
As a first-time MP, it has been a learning experience for me. I am not a seasoned politician like the others. I was quite naive as far as politics was concerned though I did a lot of work in the social field along with my father. In these three years I have learnt a lot, how much an MP can do, what she can’t do, the limitations basically of tackling a system. I have been able to reach out to more people and for young people like us coming into politics, we want to make a difference rather than just having the power. Once you are in it, the system is tough to beat. You are constantly swimming against the tide.
Key areas
For me, I’d like to bring about changes in the education, healthcare and security of the country. If you focus on healthcare for women, men, children, you will have more progress and development. Literacy is the key to this too. Health needs a huge push in rural India and in urban slums and there is a huge gap between the haves and the have-nots. The main problem is that of affordable housing for the working class.
My main concerns are social equality and justice. My vision is to strengthen social equality and narrow the divide between the rural and urban, rich and poor. India is a large and diverse country but we are getting too regional in our perspective. My biggest dream is to see India as one.
AS TOLD TO RAHI GAIKWAD
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Kanimozhi, MP, Rajya Sabha.
Poet and politician, 42-year-old Kanimozhi has been active in politics for two years. But in this relatively short span, she has made a mark in Chennai with the launch of the annual folk arts festival Chennai Sangamam and the portal dedicated to free speech, Karuthu (launched in association with another political scion Karthi Chidambaram).
The forthcoming elections: The important and deciding factor will be issues that have touched people’s lives. Like welfare measures for example. Overall we’re reaping what we’ve sowed in the name of fundamentalism but I believe that people have realised that religious fundamentalism is not taking us anywhere and will look for a secular government that will continue to protect the minorities, which is very different from “pampering” them. This is, of course, the time of the global recession; it will have an impact but I believe we’re slightly better off since there is no complete privatisation.
Her vision for the country: I wish we could rise above politicisation of policy and administrative decisions. I agree political parties are there to win elections but we should be able to transcend politicking. Take the noon meal scheme for instance. It was begun by Kamaraj but each succeeding government has added something more and taken it forward. That’s how it should be. I also want improvement in sectors like education, health and agriculture. Quality education should be affordable for all sections of society. And we have to do that by improving the standards in government schools not by reducing the standards of private schools. In terms of higher education, more regulation is required. Often colleges mushroom but quality of education is sub-standard and the children are taken for a ride. Again, in healthcare the challenge is to make it affordable and also bring in accountability from the doctors.
One thing she would change: Corruption. (Almost instinctively; then she laughs at herself). People will laugh at my saying that but most of our problems start from here. (After some thought) I would like to make sure that there will be fair and equal opportunity for all sectors and sections. More transparency in awarding contracts and decision making. The RTI Act helps but again not many know of it.
AS TOLD TO R. KRITHIKA
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C.S. Sujatha, MP, Mavelikara, Kerala.
C. S. Sujatha (Communist Party of India-Marxist) represents Mavelikara in Kerala. She is 43. Eager to draw the attention of the entire House to what may well be Kerala issues, she got herself a Hindi tutor.
“What pains me the most is that 63 years after independence, there is still widespread poverty and hunger in India. If I were given the responsibility to bring about change, my first priority would be to address the basic needs of the people; ensure that they have food, clothing and shelter. No doubt, terrorism, communalism, casteism and regionalism should be fought but because I come from the grassroots — having been Panchayat President of Alappuzha for nine years — I am aware of the basic needs of the people. As a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, I got the chance to study The Unorganised Sector Workers’ Social Security Bill in detail.
By far, my most upsetting day was July 22, 2008, when some members brought cash into the House ahead of the trust vote. Also, I wish we could have had more discussions in the House. The majority of the Bills were passed without discussion and that is very disappointing for members like me. There have been days when I have spent hours reading up and preparing for a discussion but in vain as proceedings were disrupted.
AS TOLD TO ANITA JOSHUA
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