"Irrespective of whose son or grandson you may be, you can be rejected by the electorate"

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: for the younger generation having difficulties adjusting to senior politicians, I think we are quite lucky — young people have considerable opportunity in our assembly. Out of about 50 MLAs, 10 are below the age of 40. In the Cabinet, five out of 12 ministers are below the age of 40. I am the youngest at 30. More than the mindset of the senior leaders, however, what we have to fight is the system that does not allow our thinking to come to the fore.

Shekhar Gupta: The bureaucracy is more of a problem?

Conrad: The bureaucracy follows a system which has been there for 30 years. We need to instruct them to change the system. We are not ministers, we are CEOs in-charge of each department and play the role of connecting with the grassroots and not just the top bureaucrat. These are the kinds of ideas the young ministers are supporting in our government.

Randeep: I am 41 years old. I was an attorney at 20 and a half. I did my masters in Political Science after I became a legislator for the first time. I have practiced law for 11 years. I have fought four assembly elections so far, the first was a by election in 1993 against Om Prakash Chautala. I lost that one but went on to win the next one from him and the three after that too. In 2000, I was made the president of the Indian Youth Congress and served in that post for five years. I have been a minister now for just over three years.

Suman K Jha: It is said that a group of just 500 families control the entire polity and politics of this country. The problem of dynasties pervades parties, states, and regions. Does it concern you?

Randeep: Politics may help you if you are a Badal or have another name behind you — you may get an initial break. But irrespective of whose son, nephew or grandson you may be, you can be rejected by the electorate. There are areas where your father’s name or experience may help but you are as fallible as anyone else.

Manpreet: We have to prove ourselves every five years. The Badal name works like Bata in Punjab, everybody knows that, but you are tested at a higher scale because people expect a better performance from you. It is almost like a feudal duty.