Key Points

"Bihar has led the country before, and it must do so again. For 20 years, the NDA has governed here, working to take Bihar and the nation forward. Now, it is the responsibility of Bihar's young leadership to carry this mission forward," the Union Minister added.

Apart from Union Minister Pradhan, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal, and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary addressed the gathering.

The Union Minister underlined how global expectations from India are rising, with poor and developing nations looking towards India with hope.

"A new environment has been created in the country. Innovations are happening daily, and our youth are now becoming job providers. Bihar's youth too must use technology to drive change," he added.

Referring to the Jayaprakash (JP) Movement launched during the Emergency in 1975 from Patna's Gandhi Maidan, Union Minister Pradhan said that while the role of youth has changed over time, the responsibility remains the same -- to safeguard democracy and lead the nation.

Taking a jibe at the Opposition, he accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress of spreading anarchy with false statements on "vote theft".

He claimed that the opposition parties had stolen the votes of the poor in the past "with guns and bombs", and now were "roaming around with the Constitution's book".

He also said, "This country is not a Dharamshala. Bangladeshis have no right to vote here. Those who looted fodder and land should now open their eyes to Bihar's development."

He hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for allying with Telangana's Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who had once questioned Bihar's "DNA", and urged Bihar's youth to defeat such forces in the elections.

Meanwhile, State BJP President Jaiswal highlighted India's civilisational strength, saying, "India is moving forward rapidly on the basis of its knowledge tradition. In this Amrit Kaal, Bihar and the country are marching together on the path of development. Our effort should be to keep up this pace."

He stressed that youth leadership must be prepared not only in technology but in every field, as true development can only happen when the young generation is both educated and cultured.

Addressing the conclave, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said the energy of Bihar's youth shows their commitment to the NDA.

"India is the youngest nation, and Bihar is the youngest state. The NDA government is working to secure the future of our youth by providing bumper jobs, opportunities in entrepreneurship, and support in sports. The Bihar government stands firmly with the dreams of its youth," he added.

The conclave, seen as part of the BJP's outreach to young voters ahead of the Assembly elections, projected Bihar's youth as central to India's vision for 2047 -- the centenary of Independence.

- IANS