RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Gen Z protesters should not be called anti-national, describing protests as a democratic form of dialogue and urging engagement with young people.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said members of Generation Z (Gen Z) should not be labelled anti-national merely because they participate in protests. Speaking at the Mumbai Conference titled ‘The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way’, he said young protesters are “our own people” and their concerns should be addressed through dialogue.
Bhagwat said that while protests are part of democracy, they should be carried out through democratic means. He also expressed confidence in the younger generation, describing Gen Z and Gen Alpha as more honest and receptive to the values of patriotism and public service.
Addressing the conference, Bhagwat said Gen Z should not be viewed as anti-national for raising concerns.
“If the Gen Z is agitating, they certainly aren’t anti-nationals; they are our own people, our next generation,” he said, adding that a sense of belonging and continuous dialogue are necessary to resolve differences.
He also said that while he would not discourage protests, democracy provides appropriate ways to express dissent.
Bhagwat described protests as a democratic mechanism when regular communication fails to resolve issues.
He said that if discussions do not produce results, people naturally raise their voices to draw attention to unresolved concerns, calling protests another form of dialogue in a democratic society.
Reflecting on generational differences, Bhagwat said today’s youth are more inclined to question authority than previous generations.
According to him, earlier generations generally accepted what elders said without questioning, whereas Gen Z and Gen Alpha seek logical explanations before accepting viewpoints.
He also remarked that he considers the younger generation more honest and said he would readily place his trust in Gen Z.
Bhagwat’s comments come days after student protests in Delhi over alleged undergraduate medical entrance examination paper leaks. The demonstrations, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, resulted in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
When asked whether earlier dialogue could have prevented the situation from escalating, Bhagwat said that if an undesirable situation develops, there must have been shortcomings somewhere that need to be identified and corrected.
Responding to a question about the reported use of pellet guns against protesting students, Bhagwat said he did not have complete information about the incident.
He said he would need to examine the facts before commenting on what happened or determining where responsibility lay.