Political discussions have been fueled by comments by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat about India’s youth, which was quickly countered by the senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He spoke in Mumbai to express support for Generation Z in telling young people in a public forum that their feelings about the current socio-educational system are genuine. He went on to say that demonstrations and protests by youth are not anti-national but that peaceful public protest is a legitimate and necessary form of democratic debate to build a common society.
In this regard, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she was not impressed with the RSS leader’s position while speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, saying that the new generation does not need a certificate of approval from Mohan Bhagwat. The Congress leader also attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah because he is not answering the questions and not attending the Parliament Houses. She also demanded that the administration must hold themselves accountable for recent student demonstrations and claimed that police were overzealous in the course of a July protest march as the government is facing ongoing issues over paper leaks in the competitive examination.
The RSS chief was speaking at an anniversary gathering organized by India's International Movement to Unite Nations (IMU) in Mumbai in front of thousands of young people from Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Bhagwat highlighted systemic deficiencies in the national education system and advocated for a more equitable distribution of the national budget, including raising public spending on education to six percent of the gross domestic product. When the public needs to complain and is not heard through normal channels of communication, youth are more likely to be agitated, he said, and governance needs to be all about dialogue and rapport rather than division.
The strategy of the ideological mentor of the ruling class is in view of the ongoing student uprisings and political friction caused by competitive examination lapses like the NEET paper leak. Such protests have even caused the resignation of the Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. While opposition parties have been investigating the government’s response to youth demonstrations and the subsequent enforcement actions in New Delhi, senior leaders are still at war over who really represents and protects the nation’s rising generation.
