Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has welcomed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks supporting the Gen Z protests as a clear difference between dissent against the government and anti-nationals is rightly given by the RSS leader.
Omar Abdullah stressed that those youth, raising their demand for their rights, shouldn’t be seen as enemies of the country after Bhagwat went on hitting these groups in Mumbai. He pointed out that the protest by the students recently was for expressing their concern in the conduct of the NEET examination process and they were agitating against the government and not against the country.
The Gen Z had been protesting for their rights and demands, not on India, it’s on the government. If someone criticises the Government, it does not mean that he is against the nation,” Abdullah said, quoting Mohan Bhagwat who railed against the Government in his recent statement.
Such democratic movements, he added, frequently result in needed reforms. Abdullah said that the agitation highlighted the problems in the NEET exam procedure which eventually helps the country in this regard.
The show concern of the Chief Minister was reported to have occurred case of harassment, online trolling and intimidation of some student protesters and their families after the protests. He urged authorities and people to make sure such actions are halted, and made it clear that the protesters have not acted in any way to harm the country’s interests.
Bhagwat, who was interacting with Mumbai school boys, had said that it was wrong to label the youth “anti-national” for exercising democratic rights. His remarks follow a series of student protests that saw Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan quit.