"Today, You Can't Get Votes Even By Doing Good Work": Minister Kiren Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday expressed concern over "deterioration" in politics and said there used to be "wonderful discussions" in Parliament but today there is "so much noise" in the House. He also said that the people's mindset has changed over the years and asserted there are "very few" people who appreciate good work.

"I have seen politics undergoing a change over the years. Today you can't get votes even by doing good work...Nobody even listens if you talk about something good," he added.

Kiren Rijiju was addressing an event, jointly organised by the Rashtriya Sewa Bharati and Sant Eshwer Foundation, to present awards to social workers for their outstanding service to the society.

"The social system has deteriorated a lot, from the political point of view as well. When we were young MPs, there used to be such wonderful discussions in the Parliament," Kiren Rijiju said.

"Today being a parliamentary affairs minister, I keep thinking that when we became new MPs, we had such good ideas. There used to be discussions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Today, there is so much noise that no one is ready to listen to those who speak well," he said.

"I ask other MPs about it. I wouldn't take any name because it's not a political platform. They say the media doesn't cover if you talk about good things. If you abuse and create ruckus in the Parliament, only then it becomes news," he added.

The Union minister also expressed disappointment at the learning outcome of students.

"I come from the border area. During my childhood, there was no school and road there. We did not have any facilities. Teachers, especially from UP, Bihar, Bengal and Assam, used to come to our village on foot travelling four-five kilometers," he said.

"What we were taught about values and society, we never forgot. But, today children study in convent and public schools. There are many schools where standard of education is very good. But, I think, somewhere or the other, a deficiency in the kind of education that one should acquire is visible," he added.

Kiren Rijiju said that there are good people in society who think about building the future of the country but there is also a section who do not make any contribution and influence the society "in a wrong way".

"Yet, they get a large number of followers on social media. I keep thinking what is the meaning of following such people. Are they ideal people?" he said, adding that people should follow a person only after knowing about his life and ideas. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)