Rousing youth is easy, leadership needs experience: Sanjay Nirupam

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam says it is easy to touch the emotions of young people and gather them for a movement, but giving them the right direction and building strong leadership is a big challenge. According to him, social media popularity or the wave of a movement is not enough for this. Experience, struggle, study and the habit of introspection are also essential.

Nirupam visited our office in Pune. In the meeting, he spoke on the changing thinking of the youth, the state's political developments, the Maratha reservation and the teachers' and graduates' constituency elections.

Citing youth movements, Nirupam referred to the agitation against the alleged paper leak and irregularities in the NEET examination. The movement was started by Abhijeet Dipke of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other activists. Because the matter concerned the future of students, it drew strong support from students, parents and the public. Nirupam said that when those associated with the movement began a political agitation against the Chief Election Commissioner, the public support they received declined.

Targeting the political statements of Sanjay Raut, Nirupam said everyone in public life should speak thoughtfully and on the basis of facts. Baseless allegations and sensational statements damage a leader's credibility, he said.

Describing the role of the Maratha community as important in Maharashtra politics, Nirupam said the questions of employment, reservation and Kunbi certificates for the community's youth cannot be ignored. He said the unrest behind the Maratha reservation movement should be understood and a concrete solution found.

It was also Nirupam's view that respect for the Marathi language should be maintained in Mumbai and that Marathi should be used as much as possible in everyday work. He also said the growing influence of big companies is creating challenges for small businesses. Raising the issue that the expansion of packaged milk companies is affecting the trade of local milk sellers, he stressed the need to protect small businesses.

Invoking the ideology of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, Nirupam attacked Uddhav Thackeray. According to him, Hindutva and opposition to the Congress were the hallmarks of Balasaheb's politics. Nirupam alleged that, in his desire to become chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party and drifted away from Balasaheb's ideology. Nirupam also said Eknath Shinde's decision to break away from the Shiv Sena was a step towards carrying Balasaheb's ideology forward. The political parties concerned hold differing views on this.

On the teachers' and graduates' constituency elections, Nirupam said candidates will have to talk directly to voters to understand teachers' pending demands, graduates' employment concerns and local problems. He said a teachers' representative in the legislature should be a teacher. Personal contact, an organisational base at the local level and coordination are of particular importance in these elections, he added.