Youth protests being hijacked: Mayawati urges Gen Z to resist BJP, Congress
BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday urged students and Gen Z to stay away from what she described as "conspiracies" by ruling and opposition parties, accusing
BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday urged students and Gen Z to stay away from what she described as "conspiracies" by ruling and opposition parties, accusing the BJP and Congress of attempting to hijack youth protests for political and electoral gains. Addressing select media, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said students and young people across the country were deeply concerned about unemployment and other issues, but alleged that neither the BJP nor the Congress was genuinely committed to resolving their problems. Read Full Story Mayawati's remarks came a day after BSP national coordinator and her nephew Akash Anand made a strong outreach to Gen Z and young people at a party rally in Hathras. Referring to student and youth protests in Delhi and Ranchi, Mayawati alleged that political parties had sought to take control of movements that were initially focused on genuine concerns.
She claimed the protest at Jantar Mantar was initially launched by what she called the "Cockroach Janata Party" (CGP), but was later "hijacked" by the Congress and its allies. She made a similar allegation about the ongoing youth movement in Ranchi, claiming it had subsequently been taken over by the BJP and its allies. "Delhi's Jantar Mantar student and youth movement and now the movement in Ranchi... we are seeing more politics in their garb," Mayawati said. She alleged that disruptions in Parliament over various issues could either be the result of "internal collusion" between the ruling and opposition parties to divert attention from governance shortcomings or attempts to gain political power. Mayawati appealed to Gen Z to remain cautious and use their protests to press for solutions rather than allowing political parties to exploit them for electoral purposes.
The BSP chief also attacked the BJP over the reservation system, alleging that quota provisions for Dalits, tribals and other backward classes had been weakened. "We are not against the private sector, but reservation should be available in the private sector in the same way as it is available in government jobs," she said. She alleged that public-sector institutions were being weakened while the private sector was being in ways that benefited large industrialists and left poor, unemployed and disadvantaged sections further behind. Mayawati also claimed that reservation for disadvantaged communities in government employment had become "almost negligible" and alleged that RSS members were working to make the system ineffective. Defending the record of previous BSP governments in Uttar Pradesh, she claimed that recruitment freezes had been removed and "lakhs and lakhs" of people had been provided livelihood opportunities.
The BriefWire