Bhopal, August 13, 2026

They came from 12 states, took their places inside Madhya Pradesh’s Assembly complex and stepped briefly into a world usually occupied by seasoned politicians. For more than 52 young participants at Sansad Youth Parliament 2026, politics on Thursday was no longer something watched through television screens, election rallies or social media feeds. It became something to experience from inside.

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav opened the Youth Parliament in Bhopal with a direct message to the participants: young Indians should not remain spectators to politics. They should enter it, participate and help strengthen democracy.

The timing gave the gathering a larger context. India is approaching its 80th Independence Day, while the generation sitting in the Youth Parliament knows the freedom struggle largely through history books, family memories and stories of those who sacrificed their lives.

Dr Yadav described the gathering as a “mini India”, with young people arriving from different parts of the country. The presence of young women was particularly visible. The Chief Minister linked their participation with the larger movement towards greater representation of women in legislatures, including the constitutional provision for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

But his larger argument went beyond representation. Young people, he said, should not think of education only as a route towards becoming doctors, engineers or professionals. Politics and public life also need educated and capable young people.

That message assumes significance in an age when young Indians encounter politics differently from earlier generations. A political speech no longer needs a public meeting to reach them. A policy decision, parliamentary argument or controversy can arrive instantly on a mobile phone. Instagram reels, YouTube clips and social-media posts increasingly sit alongside newspapers and television as spaces where political impressions are formed. The challenge is whether that exposure eventually produces participation or merely reaction.

A Youth Parliament attempts to bridge that gap. It allows young participants to understand that democracy involves more than winning an argument. There are procedures to follow, opposing views to hear, questions to answer and decisions to defend. The real Assembly itself provided an interesting backdrop to that lesson.

From Mock Parliament to Real Political Questions. Dr Yadav used the interaction to place several contemporary political and social issues before the participants. One was equality before civil law. “Ram and Rahim should have equal rights under the law,” he said while speaking about Madhya Pradesh’s Uniform Civil Code initiative.

The Chief Minister also referred to Madhya Pradesh’s move towards a Uniform Civil Code while underlining the principle of equal rights. He said the state government had sought suggestions from people across districts and communities before moving ahead with the initiative.

Dr Yadav said the consultation process had also received a positive response from Muslim women. Citing findings of the exercise, he said 76 per cent of Muslim women surveyed had supported the Uniform Civil Code. “For us, the law should be the same for Ram and Rahim,” he said, stressing that equal rights should reach every section of society.

He said the larger objective was to ensure equality before law and protect the rights of citizens without discrimination. The Chief Minister particularly referred to the rights of Muslim women while making his case for a common legal framework.

Dr Yadav also referred to Ayodhya and the Ram temple while speaking about democracy, judicial decisions and social harmony. He said citizens should respect decisions of the judiciary. His remarks brought real political debates into what could otherwise have remained a ceremonial youth event. And that is perhaps where such exercises acquire greater value.

Young people do not have to agree with every position presented before them. Democracy does not require that. It requires them to understand an argument, question it where necessary and develop the ability to defend their own position through reason rather than hostility.

Politics as Public Service. Dr Yadav also took the participants back to the freedom movement. He invoked Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, recalling how Bose left a promising career path to devote himself to India's struggle against British rule. The reference carried a message for a generation whose career choices are often measured through examinations, salaries, placements and professional success.

Politics, in the Chief Minister's formulation, should also be seen as a field where capable young people can serve. That does not make the road easy.

For the 52-plus participants from 12 states, the Youth Parliament will eventually end and the seats will return to their regular occupants.

But Dr Yadav's central message was aimed beyond Thursday's programme. India's young people are already shaping politics through their votes, aspirations, questions and digital voices. The next step is to encourage some of them to move from commenting on public life to participating in it.

A Youth Parliament can imitate a legislature only for a few hours. Its larger purpose succeeds when some of those sitting in the mock House begin to see democracy not merely as something run by politicians, but as an institution in which they too have a stake.