Distraction Politics: The Dirty Art of Distracting Youth!A very dangerous game is being played in our country today called “distraction politics.” This simply means that when the public’s minds begin to awaken, feed them the opium of a new controversy. Just think, in the past few days, when the youth were about to take on the government on serious issues like the eroding Aravalli Hills, Delhi’s suffocating pollution, rising unemployment, and women’s safety, suddenly the “UGC Rules” or some new law was brought up on the screen, and the entire debate was changed. It’s like a mother distracting a child by showing them the moon in the sky when they’re hurt, the only difference being that our future is being jeopardized here. When the public questions the lack of oxygen or unavailability of beds in hospitals, TV suddenly turns to a temple-mosque or caste-based reservation. We, who were united yesterday in demanding a better healthcare system, now resort to abusing each other’s caste and religion on Facebook and WhatsApp. We forget that when toxic air enters our lungs or inflation bites our pockets, it doesn’t care what caste you belong to or which god you believe in. We have been so thoroughly poisoned by casteism that we see our poor neighbor not as a friend but as an enemy of our own caste, while the real enemy is the system that has failed to provide us with good education and treatment. Millions of memes on the internet today highlight the UGC regulations, but how many people are struggling to understand why we lack clean drinking water and safe roads? This is a deliberate conspiracy to prevent the youth from uniting and demanding answers on development, hospitals, and employment. We are being weakened by pitting us against each other so that the seat of power remains secure. The day we break free from this ‘trend’ and understand that our fight is not among ourselves but against poverty, that day will the true progress of this country begin. Otherwise, we will simply be left making memes, and our future will be ruined. It is said that “in a country where the opposition is strong, the government is always accountable and vigilant. However, a country where the youth becomes aware and starts asking questions, that country reaches new heights of development.” Youth are the backbone of any nation, exposing the shortcomings of the system. But today’s harsh truth is that as soon as the youth recognizes their strength and begins raising questions, the wheels of ‘distraction politics’ begin to turn. Remember, the system is not afraid of your anger, it is afraid of your focus.