"Doing Them A Disservice": Milind Deora Snaps At Calls For Gen Z To Protest

"Doing Them A Disservice": Milind Deora Snaps At Calls For Gen Z To Protest

New Delhi:

Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora indirectly criticized Rahul Gandhi on Saturday regarding Gandhi's appeal to India's youth, students, and Gen Z population to "save the Constitution, protect democracy, and prevent 'vote chori'."

During his address at NDTV's Yuva 2025 summit, Deora remarked, "Any politician encouraging Gen Z to protest on streets and create disorder is doing them a disservice... I believe young people won't take such politicians seriously."

His comments were in response to Gandhi's recent X post which stated, "The youth of the country, the students of the country, the Gen Z of the country... will save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop 'vote chori'. I always stand with them. Jai Hind!"

Gandhi's post followed his PowerPoint presentation outlining allegations against the Election Commission and the BJP, with which Deora's Shiv Sena faction is allied.

Rahul Gandhi has alleged collusion between the poll panel and BJP to commit electoral fraud. This week, he also claimed that a centralized software systematically deleted voter names from Congress strongholds in Karnataka before the 2023 state election.

The Election Commission promptly responded, dismissing Gandhi's allegations as "baseless" and asserting that it's impossible for public members to remove names from voter rolls anywhere in India. The BJP also criticized Gandhi; Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that Gandhi must acknowledge his "failed" Congress leadership, resulting in multiple electoral defeats and India's youth shifting support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Deora told NDTV that engaging with young people, especially the significant Gen Z demographic, is crucial. However, he suggested the appropriate approach is collaborative work to create opportunities addressing their concerns.

"Beyond traditional ideological divides of left or right wing, Gen Z is concerned about employment, air pollution, education... they want to know if they can become entrepreneurs or sportspersons..." he explained.

These issues, according to Deora, must be addressed by whichever party holds power to ensure that pressure from their aspirations, which may be felt more intensely than by previous generations, doesn't escalate as witnessed in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

"When aspirations aren't properly channeled, they turn into restlessness... and if that restlessness isn't addressed, it can lead to chaos," he concluded.