India's Youth Power: the Myth

Sagarika Ghose's column 'Dutiful sons aren’t youth icons' in Indian Express leaves a huge hole in the media's myth that India's youth will deliver her into the next big thing. Her argument that the next-gen crowd that matters most, it's political crop, isn't any where close to giving India a fresh push holds water.

IE:
When political life was ideological, such as for example in the 1970s, with youth activists taking an active role in initiatives like the Nav Nirman movement in Gujarat or in the anti-Emergency movement, a range of young leaders — whether it was Sitaram Yechury or Arun Jaitley — rose as the rebellious young men of different ideologies. But when politics is based on dynasty — and why blame just the Congress, almost every political party, whether it’s the RJD or DMK or the National Conference, is run by family coteries — then youth simply becomes harnessed to feudal family loyalties. Young politicians are thus not allowed to become an alternative energy source, they simply exist to parrot parental views. Rahul Gandhi’s so busy trying to live down his family that he’s not taking the trouble to develop any big ideas for UP. And does Omar Abdullah agree with dad on everything, for god’s sake? When Sonia Gandhi rejected the prime ministership, all young MPs fell in obedient obsequious line to implore her to take back her resignation. Such tame chamchagiri is surely not the mark of spirited young men who are supposed to represent a generation straining at the leash of a conservative past.