Pankaja Munde at Bhagwan Gad Dussehra melica: India needs youth who respect the country

BJP leader and minister Pankaja Munde addressed her supporters at the Dussehra gathering at Bhagwan Gad. In her speech she shared her views on the younger generation, patriotism, caste politics and the drought. The speeches at Dussehra gatherings and their political messages draw attention in Maharashtra politics every year.

Munde spoke of the conflict and instability across the world. She referred to the situation in Paris and France and also named the Russia-Ukraine and Iran wars. She said the country needs a generation of young people who are patriotic and respect the country.

"We do not want youth who burn their own country," she said. Invoking the ideas of former Union minister Gopinath Munde, she said it was essential to prepare workers who work for the country and take responsibility towards society.

According to Munde, today's younger generation, Gen Z, should take a stand based on issues when it leads. She said leadership should rest on ideas and questions, not on the path of conflict and violence.

She also spoke frankly on caste politics. She said the state is facing a drought and that at such a time attempts may be made to divide society. It was therefore necessary not to let walls rise between people and to keep unity. "We have to break the walls of caste," she said.

She also said those who want to build a political space on the basis of caste will not succeed in the long run. She stressed that society needs educated and trained leadership to give it the right direction. In her view, politics needs a concrete agenda, a vision for development and readiness to work for society, instead of only spreading hatred and poison.

In the speech Munde also mentioned Antarwali village. She said she has adopted the village and will work for its development. She said she feels the same attachment to Antarwali as to Beed district, and that she aims to increase love and social harmony in every village. She also spoke of the need to coordinate among different sections of society to speed up development work.

On the drought, Munde said farmers and livestock in Maharashtra must get help during the crisis. She said she had handled drought conditions before and would try to face the crisis this time too.

She said efforts would be made to secure fodder subsidy from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. She said she would work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to support drought-hit people. She also expressed her intention to work for river rejuvenation. According to her, initiatives would be taken through river rejuvenation and water conservation to ease water scarcity in rural areas.

Overall, patriotism, youth leadership, opposition to caste politics and drought relief were at the centre of her speech. The focus now is on what work follows on the ground after these announcements and how much help reaches the drought-affected areas.