Against the backdrop of Left parties and BJP’s opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said it was time India stopped being scared of the agreement.“On the Indo-US nuclear deal, my thinking is that in India we need not be scared or lack confidence in dealing with anything or anybody,” Gandhi said while talking to students at TMA Pai Institute organised by National Student Union of India (NSUI).Gandhi said in fact other countries had now realised the strength of India. “I speak to foreign leaders and I get the sense that they have realised and recognised a united and confident India,” he said.On a campaign trail in poll-bound Karnataka, he said “a united and confident India is the course for everyone, including students, the IT industry or the manufacturing industry.” Gandhi asked the student community to be the engine of advancement of the country and help to the poor. “Students like you are going to make us advanced and succeed. We can only advance if we have confidence”, he said.On Tuesday evening, addressing a function at Nanjangud near Mysore, the Congress general secretary urged the youth to plunge into politics and prevail upon political parties to usher in internal democracy. On his five-day tour of Karnataka, the Amethi MP said: “At 37, I am an old person in India. Majority of India is younger than me.”Noting that 70 per cent of India’s population is young, Gandhi said while old (people) are to be respected for their experience, there is value and strength in youth as well. “In a sense, youth is the future.”Lamenting that political parties lacked internal democracy, the Nehru family scion asked the youth to raise their voice to highlight the issue.When a tribal girl asked him about his dream for new India, Gandhi said: “My dream for India is every child should dream.”
