Youth can put hold on falling political standards : Azad

Jammu, Sep 25 (UNI) Describing youth as the ''engine of change'', Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said the responsibility of putting a hold on falling standards in today's social and political life lies on the shoulders of the young generation.

Mr Azad, who launched a year 2007-08 membership drive for youth congress here, said resorting to cast, communal, and regional politics as means for grabbing power is costing too much to the society and the country at large.

''I am of the firm belief that such tendencies could be suppressed only by encouraging youth in politics,'' he said.

The Chief Minister regretted that during the last fifteen years, the political scenario has been mostly dominated by ''politics of design and deception''.

''The worst part of today's politics is that cast, region and religious sentiments are being exploited to get instant power. These means are used as shortcut to grab the power, while putting the politics of principals and ideology to the background,'' Mr Azad said.

He hoped the youth congress in Jammu and Kashmir would work against such tendencies and contribute its bit in restoring the values of politics that guided the country in its freedom struggle and years after it attained independence.

UNI