The Gen Z is “apne log (our people)” and if they are protesting their concerns should be addressed, underscored RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat participating in one of the world’s largest youth-led conferences on Thursday.
“If the Gen Z is agitating, they certainly aren’t anti-nationals; they are our own people, our next generation. With this sense of belonging, along with dialogue, I said a sense of belonging is needed. A relationship is needed. That is our relationship. Its recognition is needed,” Bhagwat said at the Mumbai Conference titled ‘The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way’.
The 75-year-old RSS chief said he won’t say that Gen Z should not protest, but in a democracy there are ways of going about it.
“I feel that the new generation – Gen Z and Gen Alpha – is more honest than our current generation, and they genuinely respond to appeals regarding patriotism and service,” Bhagwat said.
The remarks come days after stutent protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, in the heart of Delhi forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the undergraduate medical entrance exam paper leaks.
Pictures from the heart of protest site, Jantar Mantar, showed police lathicharging, teargassing student protesters who were trying to march to Parliament on July 20. Some were even shot at with pellet guns.
Bhagwat framed the protest itself as a legitimate democratic tool when other channels fail.
“Protest is also a form of dialogue. We are sitting here and talking; if things are understood this way, it’s fine. Otherwise, there will be a debate between us. If you are in some difficulty, or I am in some difficulty, and it is in your hands or my hands to resolve it, and it’s not happening, then I will shout,” he said.
Bhagwat contrasted today’s youth with his own generation, saying the shift toward questioning authority is a different way of engaging with the world.
“When we were at the age of Gen Z, the nature of our generation was such that we would accept what the elders said. We wouldn’t question. Now Gen Z and Gen Alpha ask questions; they want logical answers,” he said.
Asked whether earlier dialogue could have prevented the situation from escalating, Bhagwat said, “When something that shouldn’t happen does happen, then there must be a mistake somewhere; that’s why it happens. Whose it is, what it is, that’s a different matter. But there has been a deficiency. It will be fixed, it should be done, that’s what I believe,” he said.
More than half of India’s population of 1.4 billion consists of those younger than 35, and Gen Z is expected to form one of the largest voting blocs by the time the general election is held in 2029.
“If you ask me to trust blindly, I’ll trust Gen Z,” Bhagwat said, throwing his weight behind them.
When asked what about the use of pellet guns aginst the protesting students, Bhagwat said he does not have the complete information.
“I need to look into the reasons behind this situation; I don’t have the complete information yet. I will have to examine the details to determine exactly where things went wrong. I cannot say right now what happened or how it happened – even I don’t know what is right or wrong in this matter,” Bhagwat said.
