Young brigade of India want to be anything but a politician.
Young brigade of India want to be anything but a politician. Ask any Chhotu, Sonu, Pinki or Pappu or their parents, they either want to become a Doctor, or Engineer or and IAS officer, but nobody wants to be a politician.
This fact can be attributed to the myth which says that all politicians are scamsters and a hyena in the garb of deer. Some also think that you need to be born in a political family to have an easy entry into the field. Also, the parents do not consider politics as a viable career option.
The youth of the country, which keeps ruing about the bad state of the country, need to take a bold step and take on the work of cleaning the politics of the country. One way to do it is to become a responsible civil society member, the other, which is more recommended, is to join politics.
It can be done just like AAP president Arvind Kejriwal or Jayprakash Narayan of Loksatta party, both former IAS officers. Another example can be of Natwar Singh of Congress Party who was an IFS officer. Ravishankar Prasad of BJP is a lawyer while KP Thakur of the same party is a doctor. Even actors like Shatrughna Singha and Hema Malini joined politics.
In the young brigade, Naveen Jindal of Congress is scion of Jindal steels. He in fact is credited with fighting the government in Supreme Court for letting every Indian hoist the national flag at their home or office with the same pride as politicians or administrators of the country.
The best thing about politics is that it can be joined at any time of your life and at any point of your education.
Although the people of India would love a highly educated representative for themselves, but to become a politician or to contest an election to become, MLA, MLC or MP doesn’t have any required education criteria. The Constitution of India lays down only the minimum age for contesting elections, which is 25 years, but there is no minimum education prescribed.
A politician is not only a representative of the people; he is also an administrator and a lawmaker. So the education falls into ‘desired’ criteria but it’s not ‘mandatory’.
Best is the politician who understands people’s pain, problem and provides a solution. Works for them and voices their concern when in Corporation, or Assembly or Parliament.
In order to keep up with the popular choice, i.e. better educated politicians, here is a step by step guide to college students to join politics and make it a full time career.
1. Take Political Science as your subject choice in graduation. Although you can also study economics or sociology, but understanding of political science is a must.
2. Read good books on politics. Understanding your country is a must and understanding it in the view of political scenarios is recommended. Suggested read: biography of MK Gandhi – My experiments with truth, Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India, Ramchandra Guha’s India after Gandhi and Kautilya’s Arthashastra. Reading foreign thinkers like Karl Marx, Hegel and Thoureau etc is also recommended.
3. Join a student body which represents your idea of India and supports student-friendly policies. This is an important step and this is how many present day popular politicians ascended in political arena. Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ravishankar Prasad were all part of the student movement led by JP during Emergency.
4. Join a debating society or group to hone your oratory skills. Good oratory and popular politics go hand in hand. Take for example our former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
5. Start analyzing political scenarios of the country for your understanding and express your ideas in party meetings.
6. A good leader is one who can be a good team member. Participate and give your full to the team works.
7. Build your leadership qualities by listening to good leaders and understanding their ideologies.
8. Contest elections. This is your test and sure shot way to rise. As a test it will tell you about your leadership qualities, will bring out your strengths and your weaknesses. It will also help you in strategizing your further actions for the party.
9. Keep your friends close, your enemy closer. Keeping an eye on the opposing views always will help you devise better policies and actions. It will also give you an edge above your opponent.
10. Always keep your integrity intact. This is a way to rise in politics without any blots.
Related links: career in politics, youth in politics, Indian politics, AAP president Arvind Kejriwal, Jayprakash Narayan of Loksatta party, Natwar Singh of Congress Party, Ravishankar Prasad of BJP, KP Thakur, Shatrughna Singha, Hema Malini, Naveen Jindal, how to join politics, how to be a political leader
