Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday stressed the need to look into "where exactly the problem lies", reacting to the alleged police crackdown on young protesters.
Speaking at a Mumbai conference titled The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way, he added that he did not have "all the information required to give a complete opinion on this issue"—but gave a shoutout to Gen Z.
The conference comes close on the heels of nationwide student protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, which led to the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On July 20, tensions erupted at the protest epicentre in New Delhi, with allegations of pellet gun use on protesters.
Also read | ‘If GenZ is protesting, they are not anti-national’: Mohan Bhagwat
{{/usCountry}}Also read | ‘If GenZ is protesting, they are not anti-national’: Mohan Bhagwat
{{/usCountry}}On being asked about incidents during protests where young people were allegedly subjected to lathi charges and pellet gun firing, Bhagwat said, "Regarding such matters, we need to first understand what happened and why it happened. We need to examine the reasons behind it. I do not have all the information required to give a complete opinion on this issue."
"However, if I am asked to place my faith in someone, I would place my faith in Gen Z," he said.
"We would listen to our elders"
Bhagwat also said that when his generation was the same age as Gen Z, people would simply listen to their elders.
"When we were the age of Gen Z, we would listen to our elders. We never used to question. Now Gen Z wants logical answers," he said, adding that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are "honest generations."
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Gen Z and Gen Alpha are demographic groups classified according to birth years — those born between 1997 and 2012 fall under the Gen Z category, while those born from 2013 to 2025 are considered Gen Alpha. Gen Z forms a major part of the recent student protests.
"I do not see myself as a leader"
Bhagwat outlined what he believes are the defining qualities of good leadership, citing a Sanskrit verse to explain that a leader should be knowledgeable, recognise and value the strengths of others, share credit, recognition and resources, and display courage in times of conflict.
"Real leaders are those who lead from behind. They work from within," he said. Stressing his own role, Bhagwat said, "I do not see myself as a leader. I see myself as a worker."