Youngsters should take inspiration from Netaji's life: Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu urged youngsters on Saturday to take inspiration from the life of Subhas Chandra Bose and work for eradicating ills such as poverty, illiteracy, social and gender discrimination and corruption from the society.

Noting that 65 per cent of India's population is below 35 years of age, Naidu said youngsters should lead from the front in building a New India -- a happy and prosperous India where every citizen gets equal opportunities and where there is no discrimination of any kind.

"Parakram" or courage was the most defining feature of Netaji's persona, the vice president said and lauded the government's decision to celebrate Bose's birthday as "Parakram Divas", an official statement said.

Naidu was addressing the officer trainees attending the foundation course at the MCR Human Resource Development Institute of the Telangana government in Hyderabad to mark the birth anniversary of Bose.

Referring to the pivotal role played by Bose and several freedom fighters, social reformers, including unsung heroes from different regions, he said many people were not aware of their greatness as their contributions were not properly projected in the history books.

"We have to celebrate the lives of many of our great leaders. We have to come out of the colonial mindset," he asserted.

Observing that different leaders approached the freedom movement in different ways, the vice president said the ultimate goal was to achieve the country's freedom from colonial rule.

Noting that Netaji wanted abolition of the caste system in the country, Naidu said as far back as in the 1940s, soldiers of all castes, creeds and religions lived together, ate together in common kitchens and fought as Indians first and last.

Bose always used to stress that the progress of India would be possible only with the uplift of the downtrodden and marginalised sections of the society, he said.

The vice president recalled that Bose believed in giving an equal pedestal to women in every sphere of life -- be it social, economic, or political.

"The progressiveness of Netaji's ideas can be gauged from his decision to form a women's corps in the INA named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment," he said and appreciated the government's decision to provide permanent commission to women in the armed forces.