Gurugram: BJP’s National Working President Nitin Nabin exhorted youths to avoid shortcuts in politics, saying politics is not a 100-metre sprint but a marathon where stamina, and not speed, is on test.
Addressing a National Youth Day event at Gurugram on Monday to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the newly appointed working president urged the youth to come forward to join politics for nation-building but avoid taking shortcuts.
“We believe that if today’s youth wish to enter politics, they must avoid shortcuts. Shortcuts always become a cause of trouble for us. Politics is not a 100-meter sprint; politics is a long marathon. In this, it is not your speed, but your stamina which is tested. Come, let us move forward with patience and stamina,” said Nabin.
At 45, the Bihar minister become the youngest to be appointed BJP national working president on December 14 last year.
Nabin said that during his Independence Day speech in 2024 Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted the youth to enter politics because he believes that the dream of achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047 could be translated into reality by the youth.
The BJP working president said that Swami Vivekananda placed immense trust in the power of the youth. He believed that whenever this nation has to move forward, whenever this country touches new heights, the leadership will be provided by a youth.
“Today, we must acknowledge that our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has inspired the youth across the nation, reminding them that if we are to build a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, then they must step forward and join politics,” he said.
He said that today, 65 percent of the country’s population is under the age of 35.
At such a juncture, he said, the youth must move in the right direction, and schemes like Startup India and Skill India are defining the path forward for them.
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‘Startups galore’
“There were times when we could count the number of startups in just hundreds. Today, we have 1.5 lakh startups in the country. This is all due to the inspirational leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that our youth are focusing on startups. From job-seekers, our youths are now moving towards job-givers,” he said.
He said that there was a time when people used to think twice before making any investments in India, but today, they are rushing to India with investments.
He said there was a time when people in India depended on mobile phones manufactured in other countries, but today, India holds a dominant position in the world in mobile manufacturing.
He said PM Modi is not just taking India forward in technology, but he is also protecting the Sanskriti and Swabhiman (culture and pride) of the country.
Nabin referred to Modi’s visit to Somnath Temple on Swabhiman Parv Monday to mark 1,000 years of the first attack on the temple by invaders.
This is a new India under PM Narendra Modi that believes in restoring people’s pride, Nabin said.
Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Nabin said some people “abuse our Constitution” while on visits abroad.
He said the BJP carried out the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra in 2011, and announced to unfurl the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, but the then UPA government under Manmohan Singh as well as the Jammu and Kashmir dispensation did not allow this, expressing fears it could cause a breach peace.
But now, under PM Modi’s regime, the tricolour is unfurled at the Lal Chowk, and Kashmir remains peaceful.
Paying his tributes to Swami Vivekananda, Nabin said, “Today marks the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda; however, we do not merely celebrate his anniversary every year—we work guided by his inspiration. The BJP Yuva Morcha not only celebrates Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary each year, but also works throughout the year fuelled by the inspiration he provides.”
Speaking at the event, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the state government has provided 1.80 lakh jobs to youths in a transparent manner. BJYM’s National President Tejaswi Surya urged the youth to follow the path shown by Swami Vivekananda.
Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli also addressed the gathering. Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh and several ministers from Haryana attended the event.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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