Hyderabad, July 25: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday made a passionate pitch for youth empowerment, urging the Centre to immediately drop all legal cases filed against students involved in the nationwide NEET-UG protests while announcing plans to convene a special Assembly session to lower the minimum age for contesting elections to 21 years.

Addressing a gathering of youth and student leaders, Revanth Reddy framed the recent resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a testament to the power of sustained democratic resistance, asserting that "the fight is far from over."

Connecting the street agitation to national policy reforms, the Chief Minister urged the Union Government to ensure that young protesters are not burdened with pending FIRs following their participation in demonstrations:

"The government's decision to concede to public pressure reflects the strength of the youth movement, but the fight is far from over. Thousands of students who took part in the agitation continue to face legal cases; we demand their immediate and unconditional withdrawal."

Revanth Reddy also highlighted the tragic human toll of recurring examination irregularities, criticising the Central leadership for failing to meet with bereaved families who lost children to exam-related distress. He appealed to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal to forcefully raise demands in Parliament for state-backed financial compensation.

Moving beyond immediate relief measures, the Telangana Chief Minister announced that his government will convene a special session of the State Assembly in early August to adopt a resolution seeking a landmark constitutional reform:

"If 21-year-olds are eligible to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers, or serve as mayors and local body representatives, why should they be barred from contesting as MLAs or MPs? India's youth must be allowed to serve directly as legislators and ministers."

Citing international frameworks in the UK, Germany, and Singapore, Revanth Reddy stated he would lobby leaders across the INDIA alliance to build a consensus on lowering the eligibility age from 25 to 21 years.

Revanth Reddy urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider international examples and maintained that India's youth should also be allowed to serve as legislators, ministers and policymakers.

Reaffirming his commitment to youth leadership, the Chief Minister said the Telangana Assembly would send a strong message in favour of greater political representation for young people. He added that he would discuss the issue with leaders of the INDIA bloc and other political parties to build wider consensus on the proposal.

Revanth Reddy called upon young people not only to protest on the streets but also to enter public life and make their voices heard in Parliament. He said empowering the younger generation in governance was essential for shaping the country's future.