RSS chief backs youth questioning authority, seeks probe into police action at Jantar Mantar protest, calls for education reform
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday that Gen Z protesters cannot be branded anti-national, describing them instead as India’s “own people” and “next generation.” Speaking at an event in Mumbai, he contrasted today’s youth with his own generation, noting that unlike earlier generations who deferred to elders without question, Gen Z demands logical answers ,a trait he called more honest than that of previous generations.
His comments came weeks after Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protests over the NEET paper leak, led largely by Gen Z students. Referring to the police response on July 20, which involved lathi charges and pellet guns, Bhagwat said the reasons behind such action needed to be examined, adding he was uncertain why force was used.
Bhagwat also pushed for deeper education reforms, arguing that piecemeal changes were insufficient. He called for education spending to rise to six percent of India’s budget, stressed that schooling should not be run as a business, and urged greater public participation alongside better teacher training and fairer fee structures.
On foreign relations, Bhagwat said India’s disputes with Pakistan and China need not permanently damage bilateral ties, describing both nations as adversaries shaped by state politics rather than “wholehearted enemies.” He said conflicts could pause relations without severing them permanently, while affirming that citizens should stand by the government during such periods, even as humanity remains a unifying value beyond political divides.
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