RASHTRIYA Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said protest is a legitimate form of dialogue in a democracy and should be aimed at building consensus rather than creating divisions. “Protest is also a way of dialogue. In a democracy, protest is a way of building consensus. Different views come together and a consensus evolves after discussion,” Dr Bhagwat said, addressing a gathering of around 2,000 Gen Z and Gen Aplha members at India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) 15th anniversary event in Mumbai. “If, for various reasons, concerns are not heard through dialogue, people may turn to agitation. But the purpose of all this is to build consensus, not to create divisions.

 

The Gen Z grievances are genuine and I believe in their honesty,” he said. Dr Bhagwat’s interaction is being seen as the RSS’ most significant outreach to Gen Z and Gen Alpha since the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protests over NEET paper leak culminated in Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Dr Bhagwat said the concerns being raised over India’s education system are genuine. Dr Bhagwat also said he supported the demand to increase spending on education to six per cent of the GDP. “Education is not a commercial business; it should be structured in such a way that it is available for all,” he said. Society should also contribute to improving the status of education, the RSS chief said. Employment does not only constitute jobs but also entrepreneurship, Dr Bhagwat said. Dr Bhagwat said Gen Z sought “logical answers” along with warmth and respect, unlike earlier generations that tended to accept what elders said without questioning. Dr Bhagwat said banning social media was not the solution to its harmful effects, asserting that society must develop self-discipline and verify information from authentic sources before believing anything online.

 

Dr Bhagwat said rules and regulations alone would not work unless people’s attitudes changed. Responding to a question on whether people-to-people dialogue should continue during conflicts with Pakistan or China, he said, “In times of conflict, we have to go with whatever the government or military does. But that should not sever the ties which are already there.” He noted India’s approach was not to “conquer or obliterate others” but to pursue a “harmonious assimilating process”, which required dialogue. “During conflicts, dialogue can be halted, but conflict should not sever dialogue. After a conflict is resolved, we have to take it forward from where we left it. Permanent animosity or hatred is not the solution,” Bhagwat stated.

 

“When there is trouble, we have to deal with it in the proper way, and during conflict we are with our government and military. But it is a temporary situation arising out of politics. It is not that Pakistanis are wholeheartedly enemies of Indians or vice versa. The state, politics and international borders are facts of life,” Bhagwat said. Warning about the misuse of technology, the RSS chief said people should not trust content on social media without verification. “Today, technology can create fake videos using our faces and voices. Knowing this, people should never believe anything on social media without verifying it from authentic sources,” he said. Dr Bhagwat also said social media influencers carried a responsibility towards their followers. ‘LGBTQIA+ community an integral part of society’ Calling the LGBTQIA+ community an integral part of society, the RSS chief said, there could be a separate legal framework for same-sex couples. Replying to a question about the RSS’s views on same-sex marriage, he maintained that “laws do not dictate society, society dictates the laws,” and the society must be prepared for a change first. The Sangh has consistently maintained that LGBTQIA+ persons are “part of society to which we belong”, he said, adding, “In our society, there is a tradition of accommodating them.”

 

“Don’t say same-sex marriage. We have to devise some system by which same-sex companions can live together. A law can be made for that, and society can accept it,” Bhagwat said. Society should evolve a system to accommodate LGBTQIA+ persons while preserving existing social institutions, he said. ‘Real leaders are those who lead from behind’ Describing the qualities of a true leader, Bhagwat referred to a Sanskrit verse and said a leader should possess knowledge, appreciate the qualities of others, share success, fame and material gains with everyone, and act like a warrior when faced with conflict. Bhagwat said, “Real leaders are those who lead from behind. They work from within.” He emphasised that leadership should not be viewed as standing before people, making speeches or winning elections. “I do not see myself as a leader. I see myself as a worker,” Bhagwat insisted. He stated that the purpose of leadership was to lead people to “light”. “The purpose of leadership was to create leaders. It is not to lead by myself. My leadership should create leaders,” Bhagwat maintained. Reservation is for upliftment and not permanent Dr Bhagwat on Thursday said reservation in jobs and education for disadvantaged groups was introduced to address social discrimination and will remain in place as long as inequity existed, but beneficiaries who had progressed should mull foregoing further benefits so others could avail of the opportunities.

 

He insisted reservation is for upliftment of disadvantaged and underprivileged groups and not a permanent arrangement. Dr Bhagwat noted reservation was deliberately politicised, creating ‘bad blood’ in society, and asserted that the affirmative action policy framed post-Independence was originally meant to promote social unity rather than deepen divisions.