CHENNAI: Congress leader and former union minister Sachin Pilot called for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to focus on real issues such as employment, sanitation, economic growth and poverty alleviation, rather than communal and divisive issues, during the ‘Hopes and Dreams: What New India Thinks’ session at the TNIE ThinkEdu Conclave.
Pilot also expressed concern over the negative impacts of social media on political discourse and urged political parties to prioritise the nation and engage in honest and respectful discussions. He took a dig at the opposition BJP for rewriting history and not focusing on real issues. “We should not spend our political capital in rewriting history. Instead, I feel we should focus on the future of our country and discuss real issues like job situation, poverty and education,” he said.
In conversation with Kaveree Bamzai at the session, Pilot said that in the LS elections, the real issues should be on delivery of government on issues like employment, sanitation, economic growth and poverty alleviation.
He urged the youth to educate themselves and research, read and talk to come up with the best alternative for them in the next LS elections. He said that while social media has brought in transparency, it has also brought negative consequences such as false propaganda and personal attacks on opponents, which are harmful to the democracy.
He advised political parties to be mindful of differing opinions and be respectful towards their opposition. “We should not say whatever we want. There should be some thread of honesty and principles in it,” said Pilot.