New Delhi: A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya as the president of the party’s youth wing, the lawmaker said this is possible only in the BJP that young talent is promoted rather than kept “perpetually on a waiting list”.
In an apparent dig at the Congress, which saw an open rebellion by young leader Sachin Pilot in July, Surya told reporters at a media interaction in New Delhi: “Other political parties only talk about the youth but rather than giving them a leadership position keep them in a waiting list so that they are not able to challenge the leadership of the political parties.”
A first-time MP, the 29-year-old was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) before he contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
“The philosophy all these days was that youngsters of today are leaders of tomorrow… Saying this, political parties could keep young leaders perpetually on a waiting list and would never bring them to mainstream political leadership,” he said.
“This, however, has changed after Narendra Modi became the prime minister of the country because he does not believe that the young of today are leaders of tomorrow. He believes that the young of today are leaders of today. Therefore, the BJP does not keep its young leaders on a perpetual waiting list, it gives its young leaders opportunities to become leaders of today,” added the Bangalore South MP.
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‘Will strive to groom more grassroots leaders’
Surya, who now heads the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), said he would be heading to Bihar Monday to hold interactions with the youth for the upcoming assembly elections.
“A young karyakarta (worker) like me has been given the responsibility of the national youth wing of the world’s largest political party in the world’s biggest democracy and in the world’s youngest country. This is possible only in the BJP,” he said.
Surya thanked the party leadership for considering him for the post and said the Yuva Morcha will nurture more grassroots leaders across the country.
“From the BJYM, we will strive to groom and nurture more grassroots leaders across the country. The BJYM will continue to be the platform for all youngsters of the country. From the weakest sections of the country will come the strongest leaders. It is the BJYM which will be your platform,” he said.
Asked to comment on the issue of unemployment, which is a major concern for the youth, Surya said a record number of jobs have been created under PM Modi, which is the highest since Independence.
“Entitled princes don’t have the moral authority to speak on unemployment. They have always lived their life like dynasts and princes. They will continue to be unemployed till Modi is the PM,” he said.
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NIA in Bengaluru
Two days after his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Surya also said the minister has assured him of setting up a Permanent Station House of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bengaluru soon.
He said Shah’s prompt action came in the wake of an increase in terror-related activities in Bengaluru and Karnataka in the last few years.
In his meeting with Shah, Surya stressed the need to establish a branch office of the NIA in Bengaluru on the lines of those currently in Hyderabad and Kochi.
“It is a matter of grave concern that NIA investigations into the DJ Halli and KG Halli mob violence in August have indicated that many terrorist organisations are using Bengaluru as their incubation centre for carrying out anti-India activities,” Surya said.
“That being the case, it’s also important to power the investigating agency, the NIA, with adequate infrastructure and personnel to conduct their probe into terror-related activities in Karnataka,” he added.
Surya also said there are reports that the NIA does not have sufficient infrastructure and human resources for conducting investigations. “NIA is currently operating with a skeletal staff and that too from Hyderabad with only a camp office in Bengaluru,” he said.
“It’s important to keep Bengaluru free from terror activities and a well-equipped and sufficiently staffed NIA office would help mitigate such activities. Bengaluru being the financial nerve centre of south India, it is vital to keep the city safe from all terrorist and anti-India organisations and their activities,” he said.
“An NIA investigation in March 2020 revealed that 4 terror-accused in Bengaluru helped ISIS member Khaja Mohideen procure weapons and material for establishing a base in the forests of south India, for waging violent jihad in India. My request for a regional branch office of the NIA is made in this background,” he said.
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