Raghav Chadha Calls for Greater Youth Participation in Politics at YFLO Hyderabad Event
Hyderabad, July 11 (TNT) : Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Saturday called for greater participation of young people in politics, saying India, despite being one of the world’s youngest nations, continues to be represented largely by older lawmakers.
Speaking at an interactive session titled “Indian Politics Redefined”, organised by the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO) Hyderabad Chapter, Chadha said the country’s demographic profile was not adequately reflected in its political leadership.
Addressing an audience of over 450 YFLO and FLO members and their spouses at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Chadha said nearly 65 per cent of India’s population is below the age of 35, while the average age of Members of Parliament is close to 60 years.
“Politics needs young blood,” he said, adding that the proportion of MPs below the age of 40 had declined from around 24 per cent in the first Parliament to nearly 12 per cent at present.
Sharing his journey into public life, Chadha said he came from a non-political family and entered politics after participating in the India Against Corruption movement.
He said his focus in Parliament has been on issues affecting ordinary citizens, including consumer rights, airport pricing, welfare of gig workers and GST simplification.
On artificial intelligence, Chadha said geopolitical influence was increasingly shifting from countries that control natural resources to those leading in AI technologies. He expressed concern that India was emerging as a consumer rather than a developer of AI technologies and stressed the need to strengthen domestic capabilities in the sector.
Commenting on social media, Chadha said digital platforms have transformed political communication by enabling messages to reach people almost instantly, distinguishing between creating a narrative and amplifying it.
Earlier, interacting with YFLO Chairperson Khushboo Daga, Chadha said he never planned to enter politics and described his political career as an outcome of circumstances rather than a deliberate choice. He also expressed his fondness for Hyderabad, calling it one of his favourite cities to visit.
Speaking on the occasion, YFLO Hyderabad Chairperson Khushboo Daga said the organisation aims to bring influential leaders from diverse fields to engage with its members and promote informed discussions on governance, leadership and public policy.
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