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This is an archive article published on July 25, 2008

Rahul, Omar gain YouTube fans with ardent speech

YouTube users expressed their approval of the impassioned speeches made by Omar Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi during the trust vote.

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Two young politicians have found new fans on video-sharing website YouTube after their heartfelt speeches during trust vote in Lok Sabha touched the right chord with thousands of viewers.

YouTube users expressed their approval of the impassioned speeches made by Omar Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi during the debate on the trust vote.

A video of Abdullah’s oratory on youtube.com notched up more than 11,000 hits in two days, with several users commenting the speech was ‘awesome’.

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Omar Abdullah, the chief of National Conference party, said he was overwhelmed by the unexpected response.

The 38-year-old MP said he had been forced to speak impromptu of his decision to support the government and the nuclear deal as the Opposition MPs kept interrupting him.

“I didn’t have the chance to read my notes and the way the Opposition was making noise I thought if I stopped to read my notes I wouldn’t get a chance to be heard. So I kept going on.”

“I was disappointed that all these brilliant points I had put together to use in my speech, I hadn’t been able to use as I hardly had any time, most of it I spend yelling,” Abdullah said, still speaking hoarsely.

But viewers on YouTube were impressed.

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“Gr8 speech by a proud Indian, this is the youth in Indian politics, filled with knowledge and passion for India and to really do something for Indians,” contributor ‘sidhu29’ wrote using abbreviations common in online exchanges.

“Our country needs more dynamic educated and young leaders like Omar Abdullah. He supported deal for the development of the country and not for any personal interest,” a user named ‘shamimgauhar’ wrote in response to the video.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP also earned praise for his emphatic explanation of how the nuclear deal could help meet the energy needs of two poor women he met during a visit to Maharashtra.

“The best part of the speech was Rahul’s politeness, God bless him,” user ‘jyotikathju’ wrote on YouTube.

Both Gandhi, 38 and Abdullah are among the younger MPs.

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Fans on YouTube urged the young leaders to take charge of the country and infuse fresh blood into Indian politics. But Abdullah said it was important to keep faith in the political system.

“There are days when our politics looks like it couldn’t sink any further, but it’s not all bad, just keep the faith.”

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