New Delhi, Wed Jan 30 2013

Instead of questioning the politicians as to what they can do for the country, the youth should ask itself what it can do, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi suggested today.

"You got to stop asking your politicians how they are going to do this or that and start asking yourself, how you are going to do it. Because that is how this country is going to move forward," he said.

Gandhi's response came while addressing a gathering here when he was asked how he can help educate illiterate children. He was chairing a talk on 'Future of the Internet- 1.2 Billion Empowered Indians' by Vice President and Chief Internal Evangelist of Google Vinton G Cerf.

"Can I ask you a counter-question? How you are going to help them? Not as a citizen but as a young Indian, how you are going to help them?," he asked the questioner, a JNU student.

Observing that there are two ways to deal with the problem, Gandhi said, "One way is to think in a rigid way. How we do this in a linear manner and the other way is to think in an exponential way."

"To say that internet is not connected to the eight year old child, you are cutting off a very very powerful avenue. We don't know how it's connected. Let that child, let his aspirations catch fire."

The talk was also attended by Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Forest and Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, architect of Indian telecom revolution Sam Pitroda and Chief of Aadhar card project Nandan Nilekani.