"So-Called Gen Z Is The Largest Number In RSS": BJP Vice Chief Ram Madhav

The BJP has a "massive youth following" and outside of that it is the RSS, the national party's ideological fountainhead, which has the largest number of the "so-called Gen Z", the buzzword after Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest, BJP Vice President Ram Madhav told NDTV.

"I come from the BJP. We have a youth wing called Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. We have a massive youth following in our party which is with the government, with Prime Minister Modi," Ram Madhav said at NDTV World's 'Anviksha' India-Nepal Dialogue in Kathmandu on Thursday.

"Outside of BJP, there's RSS, which is the most powerful youth organisation in the country. The so-called Gen Z is in the largest number in RSS. They are in very big numbers in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)," Madhav said, underlining that Gen Z is not limited to the youth who were seen protesting at Jantar Mantar.

#NDTVWorldAnviksha | "RSS is the most powerful youth organisation in the country. The so-called Gen-Z is in largest number in RSS": Ram Madhav (@rammadhav_), BJP National Vice President #NDTVAnviksha #IdeasAcrossBorders #IndiaNepalDialogue | @manogyaloiwal pic.twitter.com/wpVAryvtMY

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Demonstrations led by the online Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, which took its name from an insult, spread from New Delhi to cities nationwide, forcing the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The government initially appeared confident it could contain the protests. But a police crackdown on crowds marching towards Parliament on July 20 backfired, galvanising support for the movement and transforming anger over exam leaks into a broader expression of youth frustration. Opposition parties and sections of civil society rallied behind the protesters, while images of police action circulated widely online.

"India is a country with a massive youth population. We are very proud of our youngsters. But they are not just one group who represent the entire youth of our country. Of course any group of youngsters in India, if they have a concern, if they have some issues, can take up with the government. The government of the day is always willing to engage with them and that is what happened in Delhi last month," Ram Madhav said, speaking about the protests.

The BJP Vice President urged that one needs to exercise caution when referring to Gen Z, suggesting that it is not a monolith.

"We have to be a little careful about this new terminology that is coming into vogue: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennials. How much do you want to divide our youngsters?" Madhav said.

The BJP leader refused to draw an inference between the Gen Z-led movement in Nepal that led to a change of government and the protest in Delhi that led to the Education Minister's resignation.

"Two different situations, two different outcomes, we know. There was a particular situation in this country last year that led to that massive popular outburst and it had resulted in major change in political dispensation here. It's a completely domestic issue of Nepal. From outside, we should not be commenting about it. Whatever decision people of Nepal, or youth of Nepal, took is in interest of their country and is their prerogative also," he said.

Ram Madhav stressed that the issues in Delhi were immediately addressed, which helped the government arrest the slide into total chaos.

"The issues raised in Delhi were immediately addressed, Madhav said, adding the movement's agenda was fulfilled.

"But remember that's not the only youth in India," he said, further adding that the Delhi protests saw a lot of people who were not really Gen Z, hinting at other pressure groups hijacking the movement.