“I have come here to listen to your ideas, take your opinions and answer questions,” said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, immediately engaging his audience — the students of Panjab University.

Dressed in a blue jeans and a half-sleeved shirt on his first visit to the varsity, Rahul lived up to his image as a popular youth icon. His entry to the Gymnasium Hall around 5 pm was marked by thunderous applause and sundry whistles by more than 1,500 students. Suddenly, students waiting since 2 in the afternoon were rejuvenated and seemed to have forgotten the grueling wait they had been cribbing about.

Talking about the need to increase the participation of youth in the democratic process, he said that this was the aim of starting internal elections in the Youth Congress and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress. He reiterated what has marked his speeches across the country, “While 70 per cent of the population of the country comprises the youth, no one gives them the power to act. If a common person wants to be a candidate he cannot. You need the right connections or the right last name like mine. In NSUI we will get you to elect your leaders. We did this experiment with the Youth Congress in Punjab and the membership has seen a ten-fold increase.”

After addressing the gathering briefly, he invited questions. The students grilled him, asking questions that ranged from reservations to the Central university status for PU, from naxalism to his visits to Dalit villages. Many questions ignited debate, sometimes heated, drawing applause. With more and more hands being raised and students brimming with queries, the paucity of time left many wanting more.

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