Pics: Umesh Marpalli

Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (HB)

Udupi, Nov 14: I have always believed in benevolent and direct democracy, not in dictatorship. If we want to walk fast, then we should go alone. If we want to go far, we have to work together,” said MP Varun Gandhi speaking at 25th leadership lecture on 'The Need for Political Reform', organized by T M Pai Management Institute, Manipal here on Monday, November 13.

“Each penny allotted on projects should be spent judiciously. If all the information is disseminated before people, transparency can be seen in administration. As I want direct democracy, every petition should be applied online. There will be lesser scope for corruption. There is no definite method to solve problems of the poor. That should be done first. One should listen to the problems of the poor first. There is no specific survey to know how many poor families exist in India and that is a very disappointing matter," he added.

“People vote on the basis of caste and religion expecting good governance. But we need the best in the system. If we do not have a ‘Godfather’ (ideal man), it is difficult to navigate the system. There are only 11 per cent of women in the Legislative Assembly. As much as 70 per cent of the population is fed up of the old system. People want change and are waiting for some new developments. People below 40 years and with no political background should jump into politics to bringing reforms," he said.

MP Varun also said that he was ashamed of being in politics. “MLAs’ salaries increase every two years. They themselves allocate the hike. Many laws are being passed with no discussion form the past many years,” he said.

“There is lack of health treatment in India. Nearly a crore of people die due to health issues. It is very difficult to unite people under one group to do anything. Nearly 79 per cent of the population indulge in agriculture who belong to the below 40 year age group. The agriculture lands are deteriorating in some states," he informed.

Speaking on textile industry in India, Varun Gandhi said, “People working in handloom are decreasing nowadays. As none of the handloom designs are patented in India, they can be duplicated,"

He also said that in the field of construction, there was a growth of 80 per cent in the employment last year. He further put light on environment, pollution, corruption and many other issues.

MP Varun, after the lecture, had an interactive session with the students.

Madhu Veeraraghavan welcomed the gathering.

Dr H Vinod Bhat, pro vice-chancellor of Manipal University was present among others.