Addressing students at the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Friday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there is a negative perception about politics in the country, which the NDA government is trying to change.
“The perception about politics has changed over the years. Young people think the meaning of politics is cheating, telling lies, misleading and backstabbing...but this is not the aim of politics,” he said.
Mr. Singh was speaking at the 4th SRCC Youth Conference here. The two-day conclave is an annual event organised by the college administration. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is slated to address the students on Day Two of the conclave.
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Emphasising that the word politics has “lost its meaning”, Mr. Singh said the NDA government is working to establish its relevance again and that “right approach and ideology” is key between “performing and non-performing” assets.
“The word politics has lost its meaning and its relevance today, but I want to appeal to the youth to be positive and assure you that our government is working to establish the same meaning and relevance again. Like liquid takes the shape of the container it is stored in, similarly, the nature of politics depends on whose hands it is in,” Mr. Singh added.
Quoting analysis of similarities between tech-giant Infosys and Al-Qaeda by Pulitzer awardee Thomas Friedman, the Home Minister said while one is boon, the other is a bane for society.
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“One will be surprised to know the similarities between Al-Qaeda and Infosys. Both have global network, talented and creative youth, and both were established during the same time frame. However, Infosys symbolises creative talent, while Al-Qaeda symbolises destructive capability. One is a boon and the other a bane for society. Similarly, having talent and knowledge is important, but having the right approach and ideology is what helps differentiate between performing and non-performing assets,” he added.
The Minister said the youths are an asset for India and all they need is an opportunity to perform.
“In our over one-and-half-year-long tenure so far, the government has formulated many schemes to give those opportunities, but we fear the youth should not turn into a non-performing asset for our country and society,” he said.