Revanth bats for ‘jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Yuva’

metro india news  I hyderabad

Invoking the spirit of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's iconic slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan", Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday proposed expanding it to "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Yuva", asserting that India's future now rests on empowering its youth alongside its soldiers and farmers.

Addressing a meeting with national media representatives in Hyderabad, the Chief Minister said youth should be given a greater role in shaping the country's future and urged the Centre to amend the Constitution to reduce the minimum age for contesting Assembly and Lok Sabha elections from 25 years to 21 years.

Describing youth as the foundation of a developed India, Revanth Reddy said youngsters across the world are demonstrating leadership in technology, governance, business and innovation, and should be provided similar opportunities in the country's political system. 

He noted that many young Indians are becoming IAS and IPS officers at an early age, serving as elected representatives in local bodies and leading global organisations, making it imperative to increase their representation in legislatures.

The Chief Minister also expressed concern over issues reported during national-level examinations such as CBSE, NEET and NET. He urged the Centre to safeguard the interests of students and their families, review cases registered during protests and extend support to those affected.

Referring to earlier constitutional reforms, Revanth Reddy recalled that the 61st Constitutional Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years, while the 73rd and 74th Amendments enabled 21-year-olds to contest local body elections. Building on those reforms, he proposed reducing the minimum age for contesting Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to 21 years and lowering the eligibility age for Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha elections from 30 years to 25 years.

He announced that a joint session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council would be convened in August to deliberate on the proposal. After consultations with all political parties, the State government would adopt a resolution and forward it to the Centre seeking the constitutional amendment. Revanth Reddy also urged the Union government to consider enhancing youth representation alongside key electoral reforms such as delimitation, increasing the number of Parliamentary seats and implementing women's reservation, saying that deeper youth participation was essential for strengthening Indian democracy and nation-building.