Young people with ethical conduct are not willing to come forward to join active politics. Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward.
Approach · directive: “suggest steps”
What it asks · Identify why ethical young people stay out of politics and suggest steps that make it easier and more rewarding for them to enter.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Identify why young people of ethical conduct stay away from active politics
- Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward
Open with · Plato's warning that whoever refuses to rule is ruled by one who is worse; when ethical young Indians shun politics, that penalty falls on everyone.
Cover
- Why they stay away: criminalisation (Vohra Committee) and closed parties, where money and family control leave an ordinary worker few ways to rise.
- Cleaner contests: ADR (2002) made candidates disclose criminal cases and assets; Lily Thomas (2013) ended the shield for convicted legislators.
- Open parties: a law on parties' internal affairs, with member registers, open elections to top posts and transparent ticket selection.
- Lower cost of entry: state funding of elections, in cash or kind, so honesty needs no rich patron.
- A first rung: youth parliaments, student unions and empowered panchayats let the young learn politics as public service.
- Role models and safety: mentoring by honest representatives, and protection from harassment and online abuse.
Close with · Gandhi listed Politics without Principle first among the seven social sins (Young India, 1925); clean rules, open parties and a first rung can draw principled youth in to cure it.
Add value (verified)
- Plato, Republic, Book I (Jowett translation): the worst part of the punishment for refusing to rule is being ruled by someone worse; this fear induces the good to take office.Plato, The Republic, tr. Benjamin Jowett — Project Gutenberg ↗“Now the worst part of the punishment is that he who refuses to rule is liable to be ruled by one who is worse than himself. And the fear of this, as I conceive, induces the good to take office”
- Para 6.2 of the Vohra Committee report (Ministry of Home Affairs), quoted in ADR (2002): criminal gangs and economic lobbies had developed an extensive network of contacts with government functionaries, politicians and media persons.Union of India v. Association for Democratic Reforms, Supreme Court, 2 May 2002 — Indian Kanoon ↗“the DIB has also stated that there has been a rapid spread and growth of criminal gangs, armed seas, drug Mafias, smuggling gang, drug peddlers and economic lobbies in the country which have, over the years, developed an extensive network of contacts with the bureaucrats/Government functionaries at the local levels, politicians, media persons”
- ADR (2002): the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission, under Article 324, to obtain affidavits from candidates on criminal antecedents, and reasoned that voters must be able to avoid electing law breakers as law makers.Union of India v. Association for Democratic Reforms, Supreme Court, 2 May 2002 — Indian Kanoon ↗“The little man may think over before making his choice of electing law breakers as law makers.”
- Lily Thomas v. Union of India (Supreme Court, 10 July 2013): Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 was declared ultra vires, so a convicted legislator's membership is no longer saved by filing an appeal.Lily Thomas v. Union of India, Supreme Court, 10 July 2013 — Indian Kanoon ↗“his membership of Parliament or the State Legislature, as the case may be, will not be saved by sub-section (4) of Section 8 of the Act which we have by this judgment declared as ultra vires the Constitution”
- Gandhi's list of seven social sins, beginning with Politics without Principle (Young India, 22 October 1925).Seven Social Sins — mkgandhi.org (Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal / Gandhi Research Foundation) ↗“Seven Social Sins Politics without Principle Wealth Without Work Pleasure Without Conscience Knowledge without Character Commerce without Morality Science without Humanity Worship without Sacrifice - Young India, 22-10-1925”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2017, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 224words · Minimalist IAS
Plato warned that whoever refuses to rule is liable to be "ruled by one who is worse than himself". When ethical young Indians shun politics, that penalty falls on everyone.
Why ethical youth stay away
- Criminalisation: the Vohra Committee reported criminal networks with contacts among officials and politicians; clean entrants fear being co-opted or crushed.
- Closed parties: tickets go to those who can raise money, and where one family controls the top posts, an ordinary worker has few ways to rise.
Steps to motivate them to come forward
- Cleaner contests: ADR (2002) made candidates disclose criminal cases and assets, so voters can avoid "electing law breakers as law makers"; Lily Thomas (2013) ended the shield that kept convicted legislators in their seats.
- Open parties: a law on parties' internal affairs, with member registers, open elections to top posts and transparent ticket selection.
- Lower cost of entry: state funding of elections, in cash or kind, so that honesty needs no rich patron.
- A first rung: youth parliaments, student unions and empowered panchayats let the young learn politics as public service.
- Role models and safety: mentoring by honest representatives, and protection from harassment and online abuse.
Gandhi listed "Politics without Principle" first among the seven social sins (Young India, 1925). Clean rules, open parties and a first rung can draw principled youth in to cure it.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 1 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
