Haryana CM Engages in Candid Conversation with Young Entrepreneurs at Gen-H Yuva Udyami Chaupal

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In 1996, while operating a computer at the BJP office in Panchkula, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini had never imagined that he would one day become the Chief Minister of Haryana. Years later came an electoral defeat in 2009, a return to the people the very next day, a decisive victory in 2014 and, eventually, opportunities to serve as Minister, Member of Parliament, State BJP President and Chief Minister.

Sharing this journey with young entrepreneurs at the ‘Gen-H Yuva Udyami Chaupal’ at Gurugram University on Friday, Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, summed it up in a simple metaphor: ‘Meri Yatra Mein Koi Lift Nahi Thi, Main Mehnat Roopi Seedhiyan Chadhkar Yahan Tak Pahuncha’ (There Were No Shortcuts in My Journey, Only the Steady Climb of Hard Work).

Referring to the young participants as Gen-H, the Chief Minister gave the expression a wider meaning. ‘You call it Gen-H for Haryana; I would call it Gen-HB — Haryana-Bharat. Gen-HB is the heartbeat of India,’ he said.

In a candid and personal interaction, young entrepreneurs asked the Chief Minister direct questions about advancing in politics without a legacy, recovering from failure, technology, sports, employment, the challenge of drug abuse, startups, the pace of government functioning and family. The programme was watched live across more than 4,000 institutions.

Drawing from his own experiences, the Chief Minister urged young people not to allow failure to become their identity, but to let their work define them. Rather than chasing quick success, he asked them to make consistency, credibility and patience their strengths.

Asked how he had reached this far in politics despite having no one behind him, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said his journey had no lift, only stairs, and there were times when even the next step was not visible.

After entering politics, he recalled, his first electoral responsibility was not to contest an election himself but to help someone else fight one. During that election, he worked until 2 am. When he was asked to contest in 2009, he did not have the money, but people came forward and helped him fight the election.

He lost in 2009, but decided that defeat would not become his identity; instead, he would learn from it. The very next day, he was back among the people. There was no position in hand and no assurance of another ticket, but he had made the decision to continue working. It was this approach, he said, that led to his victory by a significant margin in 2014.

The Chief Minister also recalled 1996, when Sh. Narendra Modi was the BJP in-charge for Haryana and had a computer sent to the party office in Panchkula. Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that while operating that computer at the party office, he had never imagined that he would one day become Chief Minister.

Referring to the period before 2014, the Chief Minister said there was a time when youth were used for politics, but if a young person sought to move ahead in politics, that aspiration was suppressed.