Karnataka CM Calls for Model Parliaments in Schools and Colleges

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has called for setting up model parliaments in schools and colleges to build a "Youth Parliament," saying new leadership needs to be encouraged from an early stage.

Speaking at an International Day of Democracy event, he said the youth parliament should carry the spirit of the Anubhava Mantapa, the forum associated with social reformer Basavanna, which he described as being credited as the first parliament. India, he added, serves as a model of democracy for the world through that legacy.

The Chief Minister said leadership must be allowed to grow and that young people should understand how the democratic system works. He pointed to the decision to hold elections in every college, noting that it is not always possible to know who has the spark, and that everyone should get an opportunity to lead. A real leader, he said, is one who creates more leaders.

Recalling his own experience, he said he had faced obstacles at every step while pursuing his leadership ambitions in school and college.

On electoral matters, he said a legal bank had been opened after Rahul Gandhi stressed the need for legal teams in every taluk to offer guidance. He said a situation had arisen in which about a crore people stood to lose their voting rights, and that no one should be deprived of the franchise. Arrangements are being made to provide permanent residency and income certificates so that 47 lakh people can be added to the voters' list.

He also said democracy is not limited to elections, and that a genuine democracy guarantees dignity, respect and livelihood rights. A government that people fear becomes a dictatorship, he said, while a government that respects its people is a democracy.

The International Day of Democracy was observed at several places across Karnataka.