HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will leave for Delhi on Monday to submit a proposal to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi seeking a reduction in the minimum age for contesting Assembly and Lok Sabha elections from 25 to 21 years.
Appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “open the doors of Parliament to the youth”, the chief minister said the move would give Gen Z an opportunity to participate directly in law-making.
Speaking informally with the media on Sunday, Revanth said he would meet Rahul and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and place the proposal before the Congress leadership before taking it to the INDIA bloc. “I will put forward my proposal before the INDIA bloc leaders. Let us see whether they introduce a private member’s Bill,” he said.
The chief minister reiterated that the Telangana Legislature would adopt a resolution in the first week of August seeking the reduction in the minimum contesting age and forward it to the Union government. “August will be a miracle month for the country,” he remarked.
Revanth urged the Centre to discuss his proposal along with the proposed Delimitation Bill, increase in Lok Sabha seats and the Women’s Reservation Bill. “Let Parliament debate all four issues together,” he suggested.
Stating that the country was currently witnessing “Gen G Raj”, the chief minister said the youth, who represent India’s future, must be brought into mainstream politics.
Revanth calls for a debate on NEET in Parliament
Recalling that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years, he said if Modi lowered the minimum age for contesting elections to 21, “his name and work would be remembered”.
However, Revanth alleged that the prime minister was unwilling to listen to young people. “Modi uses radio for Mann Ki Baat. Like a radio, he only speaks but does not listen,” he quipped, adding that the prime minister would now have to listen because “the entire country is fighting against him”.
He suggested that, if necessary, the proposal could be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for wider consultations with stakeholders. “The slogan now is ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Yuva’, and the Congress will carry it forward,” he said.
On Jantar Mantar protest
Referring to the agitation by youths at Jantar Mantar over the NEET issue, Revanth echoed Rahul’s stand and said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should take responsibility for the police action.
Asked whether he was demanding Shah’s resignation, the chief minister said that he would wait to see the discussions in Parliament and the Opposition’s collective response.
Revanth said he had invited students from the Indian School of Business (ISB) to work with the Chief Minister’s Office and offer suggestions on improving education and employment opportunities for youth.
Although education is on the Concurrent List, the Centre introduced NEET, he said. “If they want power, they must also take responsibility,” he remarked, calling for a debate on NEET in Parliament.
Responding to a question on whether the Congress had allowed another organisation to take centre stage during the Delhi protests, Revanth said the party deliberately allowed the youth to lead the agitation. “If Congress had led the protests, Modi would have accused us of orchestrating them,” he said, adding, “We have seen money power, muscle power and manpower. But youth power is the real power in this country.”
Calling the NEET agitation Modi’s “second defeat” after the repeal of the farm laws, Revanth alleged that the prime minister had once again resorted to what he termed “NICE” — Narcotics, IT, CBI and ED — against the Opposition.
On Globarena case
On alleged irregularities in the conduct of Intermediate examinations during the previous BRS regime, Revanth recalled that around 27 students died by suicide in 2019. “The BRS government closed the FIR. Now we need a second complaint to reopen the investigation. That is why we have asked the Vigilance Department to probe the issue based on a complaint from an MLC. We will seek legal opinion on reopening the case,” he said.
The chief minister questioned BRS working president and former minister KT Rama Rao over the Globarena issue, asking why the company was not blacklisted and why criminal cases were not registered against it. At the same time, he stressed that all cases would be handled strictly within the legal framework.
“We referred the Kaleshwaram and power purchase issues to the CBI. The Formula E race case is now before the court. I cannot act against the Opposition overnight. I believe in following the system,” he said.
Asked to describe the mood of the youth protests, Revanth remarked, “People below 30 are ‘Garam’, those below 50 are ‘Naram’, and those between 50 and 75 are ‘Besharam’.”
‘2029 will be mine’
Expressing confidence that the Congress would retain power in the next Assembly elections, Revanth declared: “2029 will be mine. Let the BRS and BJP decide who comes second.”
Dismissing Rama Rao’s claim that internal Congress surveys predicted a BRS victory, he said, “When did Rama Rao become our PRO? There is no such survey.”
Backing his claim with electoral data, Revanth said the Congress secured a 39.5% vote share against the BRS’ 37.5% in the 2023 Assembly elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, Congress secured 40% of the vote, BJP 37% and BRS 15%.
He added that the Congress widened its lead over the BRS by 12% in municipal elections, won the Secunderabad Cantonment bypoll by 15,000 votes, overturned a 25,000 vote defeat in Jubilee Hills to win the seat by the same margin, and secured victories in 67% of gram panchayats and 80% of municipalities.
On the Bahadurpura land controversy, Revanth alleged that several BRS leaders had purchased land there.
Responding to allegations over the quality of materials supplied to school students, he asked BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar to submit a formal complaint, assuring him that the government would order an inquiry into procurements made for Gurukul schools between 2014 and 2023.
‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Yuva’
Revanth suggested that, if necessary, the proposal to lower contesting age could be referred to a JPC for discussions with stakehol-ders. “The slogan now is ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Yuva’, and the Congress will carry it forward,” he asserted.