KTR urges govts to pay attention to ambitions of youth or risk revolts

HYDERABAD

Working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former minister K.T. Rama Rao has cautioned the State and Central governments that if they ignore the aspirations of youth, they (governments) would face the risk of movements triggered against them.

Speaking at an event organised by a television news network in Mumbai on Saturday, he said while the dreams of Indian youth are soaring, the thoughts of those in power remained confined to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for distracting people by provoking primordial emotions.

“Mr. Modi has succeeded in diverting public attention with perception and media management,” the BRS leader alleged and stressed that India should aim to compete with the West, China and Japan rather than comparing itself with underdeveloped neighbours.

He said the economies of India and China were almost equal till 1985 with per capita incomes of $500 and $300 respectively. “But today, after 40 years, India’s economy stands at $4 trillion with per capita income of $2,700, while China has surged to $20 trillion with per capita income of $13,000. We must question why China has overtaken us,” he asked.

Highlighting Telangana’s progress in just 10 years, he cited the world’s largest lift irrigation project, Kaleshwaram, Amazon’s largest campus, and the world’s largest innovation hub, T-Hub, are located in Hyderabad.

He reminded the audience of Gen-Z’s power, citing how students of a central university in Telangana forced the government to backtrack on its attempt to sell 400 acres of forest land.

He urged the youth not to remain limited to digital media – but to enter politics.

He noted that tech industry leaders like Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella head American companies, but India itself had not produced a single world-class innovation.

“We don’t need just venture capital, we need adventure capital,” he said, stating that India’s 380 million Gen-Z is eager to work with governments to transform the world.