Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday, August 7, hit back at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remarks supporting Gen Z and Gen Alpha, saying young protesters do not need a certificate or endorsement from him. Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House complex, she said, “They don’t need a certificate from Mohan Bhagwat ji.”
RSS Chief backs concerns raised by Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Gandhi’s remarks came a day after the RSS Chief addressed Gen Z and Gen Alpha during a session on Thursday at Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. At the gathering, he had backed the concerns raised by members, calling their grievances genuine. Bhagwat said demonstrations by youth did not make them “anti-national” while describing their protests as a legitimate form of dialogue in a democracy.
Bhagwat made the statements at the 15th anniversary event of India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN). At the programme, he expressed concerns over India’s education system and called for greater focus, including increasing spending on education to 6% of GDP.
“Gen Z members are not anti-national”
“Protest is also a way of dialogue. In a democracy, protest is a way of building consensus. Different views come together, and a consensus evolves after discussion,” Bhagwant said while addressing a gathering of around 2,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha members.
“If Gen Z members are agitating, they are not anti-national; they are our people. It is our next generation. You need a dialogue and rapport with them,” the RSS chief added, stressing that the aim should be to build consensus instead of creating divisions. “The Gen Z grievances are genuine, and I believe in their honesty,” Bhagwat said.
Priyanka Gandhi targets Amit Shah over police excesses against protests on July 20
Meanwhile, the Congress MP also questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s absence from both Houses of Parliament, while accusing him of being “afraid.” “He should come, give a statement; what is the issue with that? Something wrong happened, so take responsibility,” Gandhi said, referring to the alleged police excesses against young protestors during a July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march over NEET paper leak issue.
