New Delhi: Gen Z should not be branded as anti-national if they participate in an agitation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said Thursday while addressing a youth conference in Mumbai, adding that protesting is a way of building consensus.
Responding to a question about concerns that protesters may be labelled “anti-national”, Bhagwat said he does not endorse the term. “I want to make it clear that if Gen Z engages in any agitation, they are not anti-national. They are our own people; they are our next generation. Gen Z vagerah aise hee mai toh ye baatein nahi maanta…A sense of belonging and mutual respect is needed for dialogue to take place. We need to recognise and respect each other. Only then can meaningful dialogue happen, where we understand their concerns and they understand our perspective.”
“I believe today’s younger generation, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, is more honest than the existing generation and honest appeal of patriotism and service works with them,” he added, as he addressed Gen Z and Gen Alpha attendees at a conference on ‘The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way’, organised by India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) in Mumbai.
“If I had to choose one generation to trust, I would place my trust in Gen Z,” he further said.
The RSS chief’s remarks come days after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests—which originated in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and spread across the country—ended on 25 July after former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation, which was the protesters’ key demand in connection with the NEET paper leak and subsequent student suicides.
The BJP has also embarked on an outreach programme to connect with Gen Z across states, conducting small-scale programmes that are being addressed by local leaders. The outreach was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, when he began posting reels addressed to the youth while the Jantar Mantar protest was still ongoing.
Asked if he agreed that if dialogue had started earlier, the matter wouldn’t have escalated, Bhagwat said: “When something happens that shouldn’t happen, it means there was a lapse somewhere. Whose fault it is or what happened is a separate matter, but there certainly was a shortcoming. It will be corrected; it should be corrected. That’s what I believe.”
Bhagwat’s comments also come at a time when the Modi government has faced intense criticism over use of force against protesting students, especially at Jantar Mantar and in Bihar.
Specifically asked about the lathi-charge and pellet gun firing, he said, “We need to first understand what happened and why it happened. We need to examine the reasons behind it. I do not have all the information required to give a complete opinion on this issue, and I do not think you have the complete details either. We need to look into where exactly the problem lies.
He added: “At this moment, I cannot say what happened or who was right or wrong, because I do not have complete information. You are sharing what you have read, and I am also going by what I have read…However, if I am asked to place my faith in someone, I would place my faith in Gen Z.”
‘Gen Z’s grievance is genuine’
“A protest is also a way of dialogue. We are sitting here and discussing, and if we understand each other’s perspectives, that is good. Otherwise, a debate will continue. If you or I are facing a difficulty and the solution is in your hands or mine, but it is not being resolved, then I may raise my voice and say that I will bring you there and ask you to resolve it because it is urgent,” Bhagwat said.
The RSS chief further said that in a democracy, protests are also a way of building consensus. “Lots of views come together, and consensus evolves after discussions. That discussion may happen through dialogue. However, due to various reasons, if a concern is not heard, one may move towards agitation. But all these steps should be taken to evolve a consensus, not to create divisions.”
Bhagwat added that Gen Z’s grievances are genuine. “As far as Gen Z is concerned, what happened recently, their grievance is genuine. A lot needs to be done in India’s education system, and it is not being done.”
“…when we were their age, we were habituated to accepting whatever the elders said, we never questioned them. Now, Gen Z and Gen Alpha questions, they want logical answers and love…In democracy, this is the method. They call it ‘debate’ in English, we call it ‘shastrarth’. There is no debate there but there are two sides—‘poorv’ and ‘uttar’. We look at all aspects and everyone has their own perspective, so a new dimension comes to light in every subject. So, we get so many opinions and counter-opinions, they together form a total view of the truth. This should indeed happen,” he further said.
Bhagwat said that he won’t say that Gen Z should not protest, but there are methods to how and what is to be done in a democracy. “Those who drafted the Constitution, the speeches of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, have indications on the same. This should be looked at. We too should see that Gen Z is not raising its voice to oppose, they are doing this because they have some issues and that should be rectified. Agitation should not be against me or you, but for system correction…”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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