Forget Gen Next mumbo jumbo, care for the aged: Fernandes

New Delhi, May 27 (ANI): Former Janata Dal (United) leader George Fernandes, who recently contested and lost the general elections as an independent from Muzaffarpur constituency in Bihar, has said there is an urgent need to care for the aged, as this has been apart of Indian culture and humanity.

In article for the socialist journal "The Other Side", Fernandes, a former Defence and Railway Minister and convener of the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said: "We must desist from media-driven infatuation with the youth and silly words like Gen-Next, and think about those who have spent their lives caring for their families and inculcating in them value systems in tune with our culture and the needs of humanity."

He expressed particular concern for aged persons of economically deprived families who have undergone both pain and struggle in bringing up their children. They need and deserve better care from society, he writes.

Praising BJP leader Vijay Goel for providing senior citizens with support systems, Fernandes said care should begin at home, where most difficulties originate.

"We need more pressure in terms of demands from the public and generous financial support to compel existing old-age homes, as well as those coming up in the future, to specifically welcome those who are not physically active or mentally alert," said Fernandes.

"Elders should not be shut away as an embarrassment since this will inculcate cruel and selfish tendencies in the next generation," the veteran politician concluded. (ANI)