Join politics, Rahul Gandhi urges Maharashtra youth

What’s the future of small farms? Why can’t India have a separate agriculture budget? When would rural to urban migration be curbed? When will the agriculture sector see good days?

These were the questions that students from the Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV) fired at AICC general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi during their hour-long interaction on Tuesday.

But the underlying message that the Gandhi scion delivered to the students was that they should consider joining active politics, and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress party’s student-wing, could just be the perfect platform.

“He expected at least seven to eight students to join active politics from our group,” said Rahul Pawar, a final year BSc student, coming out of a well-fortified building of the agriculture college.

On an overcast day, the Gandhi scion flew in to Akola, 280km from Nagpur, before flying to Aurangabad and Pune. More than 500 students, mostly with a rural and agriculture background, participated.

Rahul Gandhi’s Maharashtra tour was organised by the NSUI ahead of its ongoing membership drive and elections in the state next month.

A few students wearing slippers or chappals and not shoes were not allowed in. “For us, paying our hostel fee is difficult, forget buying shoes,” said a group of unhappy students who could not attend the meeting.

The PKV Vice Chancellor, Dr Vyankatesh Mayande, clarified later that it was an instruction from the Special Protection Group (SPG) from the security perspective.