By Anushree Jois
The Prime Minister, during his latest monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address, ushered in the New Year by welcoming the millennial generation to actively become a part of national development. He proposed the organisation of a mock parliament for the youth to deliberate on their plans and dreams for a new India. This is scheduled to be held in Delhi, sometime around 15th August 2018.
Young adults as voters of ‘New India’
In his address, Prime Minister Modi remarked that as we step into 2018, those born in the 21st century would gradually become eligible voters. He pointed out that the power to vote is the greatest strength of democracy and urged the young adults to register themselves as voters. According to him, the ‘New India’s Voters’ have the power to bring in positive change; determine and decide the future course of the country.
In this context, the Prime Minister suggested that a mock parliament be organised in every district of India, where the youth aged between 18 and 25 could come together to discuss their dreams for a ‘New India’. For this purpose, organising a mock parliament around the Independence Day was advanced by the PM, where a youth from every district of every state could participate and deliberate on how the ‘New India’ can be established in the next five years.
Evolution of Mock Parliament
As a recreational and educative mechanism, the concept of mock parliament finds mention in ‘A History of the Ottawa Collegiate Institute, 1843-1903’. It is referred to as ‘the most engrossing enterprise’ that ever interested pupils. However, it had to be eventually dissolved as it demoralised the routine of school work. Even till this day, mock parliament competitions are organised at local, national and international levels by educational institutions and private and government agencies. Many educational institutions have also included a parliamentary model for their elected school representatives to deliberate on student-related affairs.
As a tool for reformation, the historic Canadian Mock Parliament of 1914 is often relived. In 1914, Nellie McClung along with other woman activists petitioned for women’s suffrage before the legislative assembly of Manitoba, Canada. However, the petition was unfortunately rejected. This was a time when voting was considered a ‘privilege’ rather than a right. On the next day, the women activists held a mock parliament and debated on male suffrage. This incident garnered national attention and in 1916, Manitoba became the first province in Canada to empower its women with the right to vote. The then mock parliament was undeniably revolutionary. In the recent times, women in Kuwait have fought for their right to vote and right to representation in the legislative assembly. As a part of their strife, they organised mock parliamentary elections in 2003 to impress on the need of women suffrage.
Youth as agents of reform
There exist a plethora of internationally acclaimed youth mock parliaments that work towards creating awareness, discussing issues and resolving various societal and global issues. Youth parliaments in Europe, the United States, Bangladesh, Nepal and many others, across the globe, continue to organise events and work towards their objectives.
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) formed in the early 1990s has an impressive track record. Back in 1990, MP Andrew Rowe presented a bill for the formation of youth parliament to the House of Commons and subsequently, the UKYP was launched. Elections to the UKYP are conducted on a massive scale across the country to elect youth leaders. The youth parliament runs campaigns and conducts its sessions regularly. In 2008, the UK government announced its plans to include education on sex and relationships in the curriculum of its schools. This decision was a direct result of the campaign run by UKYP. The UKYP also has the privilege of using the Chamber of House of Commons for one day in a year to conduct its session. It continues to remain relevant and campaign on issues, including lowering of voting age to 16 and making public transport more economical.
India’s outlook
Backed with the recommendations for introducing youth parliament in educational institutions, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs drew up a scheme of Youth Parliament in 1965 for higher secondary school students in Delhi. The first Youth Parliament Competition was organised in 1966-67. Since then, attempts have been made to extend financial and technical assistance to all states to conduct such competitions on an annual basis. By way of this programme, the Ministry believes that students will become competent enough to consider public issues and form their opinions judiciously. After all, citizenship is not just a subject of study but a way of living. The country has seen a spur of growth in many youth organisations and mock parliament competitions over the years, which are often conducted by various educational institutions.
Reaction to PM’s proposal
As per the statistics of the Election Commission, in the 2014 general elections, the first-time voters aged between 18-19 years were over 1.34 crore as against the eligible 2.3 crore voters. It was reported that the National Democratic Alliance received the highest share of 39% of these votes. In view of the upcoming general elections in 2019, the present proposal is seen as a medium to simply gain a competitive advantage by the ruling party.
The suggestion to introduce mock parliament has received a warm reception. The youth are excited and look forward to participating in the event. MLC Vibodh Gupta of Jammu and Kashmir called upon the youth of his state to prepare for the proposed mock parliament and added that it was a great opportunity for the youth. This remark finds relevance as the Prime Minister had drawn reference to Anjum Bashir, who topped the Kashmir Administrative Service Exams in 2017, despite the trauma of having to leave Surankote, Poonch when militants burned down his ancestral home.
The verdict
There is no doubt that the proposal is well-intended. If implemented, the platform will witness an assembly of young minds from each and every district of our country. The youth belonging to different castes, religions, cultures, traditions, economic and social statuses and educational backgrounds will come forward with the sole objective of creating a new India, devoid of its problems. The initiative will create political, social, and economic awareness in the youth and make them tolerant to various aspects that make India diverse. After all, as Nelson Mandela said, ‘The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow’.
The proposal will prove to be efficacious only if it is well-structured and implemented. The present-day youth will benefit from the motivation to not only work for themselves and their society but also for their country. The platform should be endowed with a good support system, where a difference can be made in the society. If the objective is to create a platform only for sharing, it will only be educative but not reformatory. The proposed youth mock parliament should aim to promote political activism and impress on the millennial generation that its votes and participation will create an impact.
Featured Image Source: Flickr
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