Dipke welcomes Mohan Bhagwat’s youth outreach, calls for Gen Z dialogue

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday welcomed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned interaction with students but said conversations with young people would be more meaningful if they were led by members of Gen Z themselves.

Bhagwat is scheduled to interact with Gen Alpha and Gen Z students in Mumbai on 6 August. The programme is expected to bring together more than 2,000 students aged between 15 and 19 from over 100 cities across the country.

Responding to the proposed interaction, Dipke said it was encouraging that efforts were being made to engage with young people but argued that younger representatives should play a leading role in such discussions.

"It is good that dialogue is taking place, but it will be even better if young faces are leading it," he said.

Dipke claimed that recent youth-led movements had compelled the country's leadership to engage more directly with younger generations. Referring to the recent protests over the alleged NEET examination paper leak, he said the political establishment had realised that Gen Z could no longer be ignored.

He maintained that while senior leaders interacting with students was a positive step, conversations would have greater impact if young people were speaking directly with their peers.

"Gen Z needs young representation. If youth interacts with youth, it will be even better," he said.

Dipke also expressed support for students protesting in Jharkhand over alleged paper leaks in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).

Students have been staging an indefinite protest at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium since 29 July, demanding an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities.

The CJP leader said he had spoken to the protesters over the phone and alleged they were being denied basic facilities, including permission to erect tents and access to washrooms. He compared their treatment to that of demonstrators at Delhi's Jantar Mantar during recent youth protests and said his party stood in solidarity with the agitating students.

The protesters have now demanded that the inquiry be conducted by an independent panel of retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand, alleging that the state government's decision to hand the investigation to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) would not ensure an impartial probe. They had earlier sought investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging financial irregularities linked to the recruitment process.

With PTI inputs