Varun Gandhi stresses on media role in fighting ignorance

CHANDIGARH: The BJP MP from

Sultanpur

(Uttar Pradesh), Varun Gandhi, on Thursday mentioned about the contribution of numerous ordinary people working for social change to the fore and the role of media. Speaking at a national seminar, ‘Media, Society and Culture: Interrelation and Emerging Trends’, organized by the department of sociology, DAV College, Sector 10, in association with Heal Society, Chandigarh, the young BJP leader stressed that media’s role was paramount in bridging the gaps of ignorance in society.

He quoted examples of ordinary people who had inspired social change like Afroz Shah, a young lawyer who started a drive to collect trash, along with volunteers, from Mumbai beaches, Ravi Teja, a 12-year old boy from Hyderabad, who decided to fill potholes around his house after witnessing an accident, and Babar Ali (15), from Murshidabad in West Bengal, who at the age of nine began an educational revolution in his district by coming back from school and teaching younger children of the village among others.

Varun lamented that despite 70% of Indian population living in rural areas, only 2% of incidents are reported from villages, of which 40% percent were about the agrarian crisis. He said, “Only 2% reports are coming from rural areas in a country where 5,000 farmers commit suicide annually.” On sexual violence against women, he termed the global ‘#MeToo’ campaign as a ‘significant revolution’ of 2017. He lamented about 11% women representation in Parliament and 9% in state assemblies across India. Elaborating, he said only 15% women candidates were being fielded by parties in the elections.

Varun also spoke about the lack of equal distribution of water across society in many parts of the country with Maharashtra being the worst hit. “Only Mumbai, Thane and Pune districts of the total 36 consume 58% of the water of the state,” he said.