New Delhi, 08 August—In a concerted effort to reach out to Gen Z with a view to win them over electorally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that actions of your generation over the next three decades will influence the country’s journey towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
Days after a massive student-led protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi had forces the NDA government to bow down before the youth power, the Prime Minister chose to address youth at the 57th convocation ceremony of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, urging students to ensure their decisions benefit the country.
Rattled over a month long protests in the national capital and similar agitations across the country which evoked fears of losing political power, the RSS-BJP ecosystem has been trying frantically to connect itself with Gen Z and Gen Alpha with the sole purpose of getting their votes.
“You are all aware that every generation faces the specific challenges of its time and also bears its own national responsibility. Whatever you do over the next 30 to 35 years of your lives will influence our journey towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’. Therefore, the basis of every decision you make should also be: how will this benefit the country? Which of the nation’s needs will this fulfil?” Modi said in an effort to pin down the youth to RSS-BJP’s exclusive claim of being national.
Highlighting the rapidly evolving nature of the world, the Prime Minister adopted a preaching tone advising the graduates of IIT Delhi to keep their learning instincts alive.
“Today, the world is changing rapidly. Nobody can say what will happen 20-30 years from now. Keep your curiosity alive in life… Keep your learning instinct alive. Those who learn, win,” he said.
Making an effort to make the occasion bit light and evoke a smile ,the Prime Minister said that while the exam syllabus at IIT is defined, “in the examination of life, everything is out of syllabus.”
Encouraging the young graduates to question established ideas, Modi asked them to have the courage to find new solutions.
Modi told them to focus on their own growth instead of comparing and measuring their careers with their peers.
“Life is not a leaderboard. Your real race is not with someone else; it is with yourself,” Modi added using the GE Z lingo.
The Prime Minister said challenges can become opportunities for people who dare to find new solutions. He said being receptive to new situations and challenges would help students turn difficult circumstances into opportunities.
Modi said this ability was among the lessons students had learned during their time at IIT Delhi.
“People who are open to new situations and challenges will turn challenges into chances and this is what you have learned at IIT Delhi,” Modi said.
He also highlighted India’s efforts to become self-reliant across sectors, saying new areas were opening up for young people in the country.
“Today, new sectors are emerging in the country for our youth,” he said.
The Prime Minister also pointed to the rapidly changing global power balance, saying technology was the biggest force driving these changes.
The global power balance is changing every moment and the biggest force behind it is the speed of technology,” Modi said.
Referring to developments in artificial intelligence, Modi said some new initiatives related to AI had also been launched at IIT Delhi.
“I extend my very best wishes to all of you for this as well,” he said.
Highlighting India’s progress in the semiconductor sector, Modi recalled that questions had been raised when the government began taking steps to develop the industry.
“But today, production has begun at the first semiconductor unit. I firmly believe that from chips to ships, everything will be made here by your hands,” the PM said.
More than 3,000 graduating students, including 587 PhD scholars, were conferred their degrees at the convocation ceremony.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
