NEW DELHI: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib has described Gen Z as a “brave” generation that “does not fall into the BJP’s trap” and independently researches issues rather than believing what BJP leaders say.
In an interview with this newspaper, Chib said the issue raised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was “completely right” and that the Congress supported the paper leak issue. He noted that the party had long demanded former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, while Rahul Gandhi had also raised the matter inside and outside Parliament.
“Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves,” Chib said, stressing the need for education reforms and greater accountability of schools and teachers.
Chib added that he was proud of his colleagues who protested shirtless at the Bharat Mandapam during the AI Summit earlier this year, alleging that the BJP was responsible for creating an atmosphere in which the Congress had been denied space to protest.
He went as far as comparing the protest with the 1929 bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly by Bhagat Singh.
Asked about the Indian Youth Congress’s plans in Punjab ahead of next year’s Assembly elections, Chib said the organisation was currently focusing on the paper leak issue and demanding the resignation of the state education minister. He said protests had already been held in Chandigarh and would now be taken to all 12 districts.
On Rahul Gandhi being called “Batman”, Chib attributed the description to what he termed Gandhi’s 12 years of consistent work. He said Gandhi had stood with young people and others wherever BJP governments were suppressing them, adding that the response to “Chhatron Ki Goonj” in Prayagraj and Pune, as well as the “Batman” title, reflected that consistency.
Chib said the Congress was also trying to connect with Gen-Z through different modes, arguing that young people were “not scared” and that their willingness to take to the streets had put Narendra Modi and Amit Shah on the back foot.