Indian opposition slams Mohan Bhagwat’s outreach to Gen Z protesters
‘Youth don’t need certificate from RSS chief’: Priyanka Gandhi
New Delhi: Opposition parties in India have hit out at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his outreach to Gen Z protesters, questioning the sincerity of his remarks and saying that the RSS-BJP leadership is attempting to soften its image while avoiding accountability for the government’s handling of youth protests.
Acccording to Kashmir Media Service, Bhagwat, while addressing a gathering in Mumbai, backed the concerns raised by Gen Z and said that their grievances were genuine. He said protests by young people did not make them “anti-national” and described demonstrations as a legitimate form of dialogue in a democracy.
Responding to Bhagwat’s comments, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi told reporters outside the Parliament that young protesters did not need a certificate from the RSS chief.
She also questioned Home Minister Amit Shah’s absence from both Houses of Parliament and demanded that he come forward and take responsibility for the police excesses against students during a July 20 protest over irregularities in the NEET examination. “He should come, give a statement, what is the issue with that. Something wrong happened, so take responsibility,” she said.
Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal also questioned Bhagwat’s outreach to the younger generation, saying that if the RSS chief was genuinely concerned about the youth, he should seek the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge also questioned the RSS-BJP’s outreach to youngsters, saying that a change in language did not mean a change in ideology. In a post on X, Kharge said that the RSS and the BJP were changing their vocabulary while continuing to “divide people, misguide youth and dress up hatred in new packaging”.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav also questioned Bhagwat’s interaction, saying that the BJP turns to Bhagwat whenever it finds itself in a difficult political situation. He said the BJP government was facing a challenge from Gen Z and had therefore turned to the RSS chief to deal with the situation.
Bhagwat’s interaction is being viewed as one of the RSS’ major outreach efforts towards Gen Z and Gen Alpha, following the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protests over the NEET paper leak, which led to Dharmendra Pradhan resigning as Indian education minister. The BJP government’s handling of the protests, which turned violent during the CJP’s July 20 march to Parliament, has drawn criticism from opposition parties and other quarters.
