Jaipur, Jan 18 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday urged party leaders and activists to recognise the emergence of a new changing India where the younger generation is becoming more aspirational, more impatient, more demanding and better educated.

Describing this as a natural and welcome outcome of rapid socio-economic change brought about by the success of the programmes introduced and promoted by the UPA Government, Gandhi said:"Our youth is getting more assertive. It wants its voice to be heard and we would have to respect that."

It what appeared to be a call for allowing the youth brigade more say in the affairs of the Congress Party, Gandhi said: " Over one crore youth seek productive employment every year and the country has to pay a serious attention and create opportunities for their better skill development as well as employment".

It is a known fact that over 56 percent of the country''s population is in 20-35years age group.

The Congress president noted that women's security was on top of the party's agenda, and added the issue must be discussed at length.

"Atrocities on women, both in urban and rural India are a blot on our collective conscience and a matter of shame," Gandhi said.

The Congress President also appeared to use the platform of the Chitin Shivir to express her anguish over issues such as corruption, garish lifestyles of some party leaders and the questionable hunger for acquiring power at all costs.

"Being in power is not the sole purpose of political activity," she said, and added that celebrating weddings, displays of wealth, pomp and show, raises the question, "where it is coming from?"

"Is it not the case that we have floundered many opportunities that people are willing to give us simply because we have been unable to function as a disciplined and united team," Gandhi asked at the party conclave held at the Birla Auditorium here.

"I hope that you would take it seriously and come up with suggestions and norms that we may all accept and adhere to," she said.

She added: "Our citizens are rightly fed up with the levels of corruption that they see in public life at high levels. This is a phenomenon, a churning that we must understand and continue to respond to. we can not allow our growing educated and middle class to be disillusioned and alienated from the political process.?"

She urged party leaders to set aside personal ambitions and egos, introspect to work cohesively and ensure that the party puts up a better performance, particularly in states where it is out of power.(ANI)