Kochi, Apr 13: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the future of India lies with the youth.

Addressing a press conference in Kochi, Gandhi expressed his firm belief on the power of youth in politics.

"The difference between a young person and an old person is that a young person looks towards the future, okay! An old person looks in the past," said Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi admitted that the lack of youth participation in politics was due to the absence of an appropriate system in the country.

He assured that he is trying to build the mechanism to attract youth in politics but clarified that it would take some time.

Gandhi mentioned the presence of `dynastic politics', where people with official connections proceed. Explaining the reason for dearth of youth in Indian politics, he said, "Part of the reason is there''s no system, it''s arbitrary. Building the system takes time, I can tell you three to five years from today, Youth Congress and NSUI (National Students Union of India) will be producing youth leaders by the hundreds."

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Mumbai today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed confidence on Rahul Gandhi and said that he has " all the qualities to become a good Prime Minister."

Singh said that Gandhi was a "declared candidate" of the Congress for the post of Prime Minister.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday had also said her brother Rahul Gandhi has leadership skills and could one day become the Prime Minister of the country. (ANI)