Archive · 8 Aug 2026
RSS Chief Says Gen Z Protesters Are Not Anti-National
A big group of young people in India took to the streets to protest.
They called themselves the Cockroach Janta Party.
They asked the government to fix problems it had not solved.
The government agreed to many of their main demands.
This confused some political parties and followers of right-wing politics.
A very important leader named Mohan Bhagwat spoke about the young protesters.
He said they are not enemies of the country, but are honest and sincere.
He called them the next generation with a love for their country.
He said adults should talk to them kindly, honestly, and with respect.
Some people had called the protesters traitors, but Bhagwat disagreed with that.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Generation Z should not be viewed as anti-national, calling them more honest and sincere than older generations.
Bhagwat described the Cockroach Janta Party protesters as "our own people and the next generation" with a "genuine commitment to patriotism and service."
He urged that dialogue with the protesters be held in a "warm and friendly manner."
The government conceded the major demands of the protesters, while other political organisations are still processing the phenomenon.
Some followers of right-wing politics and a section of the media have labelled CJP protesters as anti-nationals and traitors funded by foreign agencies.
- Who
- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Generation Z protesters marching under the Cockroach Janta Party banner, and the Indian government.
- What
- Bhagwat declared that Gen Z protesters are not anti-national, described them as patriotic and sincere, and called for warm, friendly dialogue with them.
- When
- On a Thursday following the youth street protests; the exact date is not stated in the article.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- To counter confusion among right-wing politics followers and a section of the media who had branded the young protesters as anti-nationals and traitors.
Protesters as patriotic citizens
Protesters as anti-nationals
Nature of the Gen Z protesters
Protesters as patriotic citizens
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says Gen Z protesters are honest and sincere, with a genuine commitment to patriotism and service; they are the nation's own people and next generation.
Protesters as anti-nationals
Some followers of right-wing politics and a section of the media have spread theories that CJP protesters are anti-nationals and traitors who took money from foreign funding agencies to undermine the nation.
How the political class should respond
Protesters as patriotic citizens
The editorial argues that the right to protest is a fundamental constitutional right, so the government has a duty to hold honest dialogue and solve the issues, including through systemic change if required; it is not doing protesters a favour.
Protesters as anti-nationals
The older political class has relied on labels such as 'traitors' and 'anti-nationals', an approach that reportedly worked with previous generations who now direct the nation's polity.
- Protester group
- Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)
- RSS chief
- Mohan Bhagwat
- Key statement
- Gen Z should not be viewed as anti-national; they are more honest and sincere than older generations
- Description of protesters
- Our own people and the next generation with a genuine commitment to patriotism and service
- Government response
- Conceded the major demands of the protesters
- Accusations against protesters
- Anti-nationals and traitors funded by foreign agencies, spread by some right-wing followers and a section of the media
- Recommended approach
- Warm and friendly dialogue; straight and honest talks without condescension
- RSS-BJP link
- RSS is widely believed to be the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)