Youth must join politics to fight corruption in system: Rahul

Holding that the "biggest corruption" was within the country's political system, Rahul Gandhi on Monday made a passionate plea to youths to take a plunge into politics to clean the system and eradicate the menace.

Addressing the first-of-its-kind convention of Youth Congress delegates from across the country, Gandhi said only the entry of more youths into the country's political system can remove corruption from it.

"People in this country talk about corruption. But the biggest corruption is within the political system. That can be eradicated only if more and more youths join the political system," he told over 8,000 democratically-elected office bearers of the Indian Youth Congress.

Gandhi, the general secretary in-charge of Youth Congress, also exhorted the office bearers to reach out to the poor and under-privileged sections of the society and work for their betterment.

"Go to the poor, under privileged and others. Reach out to them. Hold their hands and get to know their problems. Then fight for them. Only if poor people get good quality of life, then the country can progress," he said.

He also claimed that Congress was the first party to usher in democracy in Youth wing through which over 1 crore people have joined the organisation after due checks.

"We have over 1 crore young people with us in the Youth Wing. The Congress' youth wing is the largest in the country. We have achieved this in the past three years. All of you have been elected by your own cadres. No one jumped to this position because you were related to some politician," he said.

Rahul also said that other political parties in the country have not yet understood why Youth Congress was different from their youth wings.

"One thing that other parties fail to understand is that we are unique. Youth Congress reflects voices that are democratically-elected. I did not elect you people. All of you are here because of your merit," he told the delegates.

"Youth Congress is the future," he said.

The young Congress leader said the since the Youth Congress has created a system, its office-bearers should go and connect with people and their problems.

"You people are the representatives of 1 crore Youth Congress workers across the country. You should go to the poor, talk to them and listen to their problems," he said.

The convention will also be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.