Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants "good and educated" people to join politics and take the country ahead on the path of progress, Union minister Bhupender Yadav said here on Friday, as he exhorted youngsters to take part in the process of nation building.
The minister for environment and climate change recounted the contributions of educated and learned leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghose, Rammanohar Lohia and Jai Prakash Narayan in shaping the country's politics.
Interacting with students during the inaugural session of the BIMTECH Business Literature Festival at Greater Noida, Yadav said, "First of all, never assume that only those rejected from other walks of life join politics. This is a misconception. During the freedom movement, Subhas babu left the ICS, Aurobindo Ghose left the ICS exam, Lohia did his MA from Germany and then joined politics, Jai Prakashji also studied abroad. Morarji (Desai) bhai came to politics after leaving the ICS and on the principles of the Gita and Gandhi."
"Today also, in our party (BJP), you have seen examples like Arun Jaitley, who left his practice in the Supreme Court, S Jaishankar, who worked as India's foreign secretary, Nirmala Sitharaman studied in Oxford, Piyush Goyal was a chartered accountant. In politics, there is only this projection...since newspapers mostly carry negative reports," he said.
"I still believe politics is a place for talented people. I am reiterating to you what Prime Minister Narendra Modi says. India has completed 75 years of independence and is in Amrit Kaal. Someone from you, perhaps 25 years later, would be in my position and work to lead the country forward.
"Good and educated people are needed in politics so that India's journey reaches higher levels of growth with good leaders. This is what Modiji wants," he added.
Yadav has co-authored a book titled "The Rise of The BJP: The Making of The World's Largest Party" with economist Ila Patnaik. The book chronicles the journey of the saffron party and has been published by Penguin.
"Since I had worked on the ground for 21 years, I wanted the party's story to come out in the form of a narrative, in a documented format. But if I had written it alone, it would have come out as the perspective of a BJP worker. So Ila Patnaik, a noted economist and our colleague educated from the JNU, came on board. The book became my perspective and her cross-examination of it, so that a correct rationale could be given through it," the minister said.