- 2 weeks ago
The debate examines the massive nationwide protests over the alleged NEET paper leak and asks whether Gen Z's anger is organic or politically manufactured.
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NewsTranscript
00:23Good evening viewers, I want to quickly take you through the latest news break that is
00:27coming in. Rahul Gandhi and certain leaders of the opposition were at Rahul Gandhi's residence,
00:31the Rapid Action Force had been deployed right in front of his house. The latest coming in is
00:37Rahul Gandhi has just put out a social media post, I want to take our viewers through it.
00:42He says, right now MPs and leaders of the India Alliance are peacefully heading to Gandhi Smriti
00:49or 3th January March. We go to remember the students we lost, the children driven to take
00:54their own lives after the neat paper leaks and we go to stand with the students who lie injured
01:00today, beaten for peacefully demanding justice and accountability. India's students are not alone,
01:07the entire opposition stands with them and their demand. Once again, viewers, you do see the
01:12opposition politically escalating the standoff that continues in Jantar Mantar between the government
01:18and the protesters headed by the Cockroach Jamta party. Lots coming in right now. This is the news
01:27that we are breaking. Rahul Gandhi a short while ago just tweeted out suggesting that he will be
01:33heading to Rajghat to Gandhi Smriti and he along with India Alliance members and he is doing so in memory
01:42of those students who took their own lives after the neat paper leak and those who were, as per the
01:49Congress, brutally injured in the crackdown by the Delhi police and Rapid Action Force on the 20th of July
01:56when they attempted to march to the parliament. We are going to keep a keen eye on all developments
02:01that are coming in. Right now, there is heavy deployment of the Rapid Action Force. Will Rahul Gandhi...
02:09Let's listen into Rahul Gandhi to speak.ир
02:21an
02:22foreign
03:19That's my colleague Noshmi reporting a lot of
03:21If things are said during live reports, she's trying to get you the best vantage position from ground zero.
03:28That is Rahul Gandhi's residence.
03:30The big question is, what you're seeing on your television screen are buses in which the opposition leaders and the
03:36Congress are walking into.
03:38And they are actually not being stopped as we speak.
03:42Randeep Singh, Surjewala, Schwartweiler spoke to us.
03:44Priyanka Gandhi already inside the bus.
03:46You can see Rahul Gandhi there and other senior leaders of the Congress and the India Alliance.
03:51What they are saying is that they are going to move towards Gandhi's whippy to stage a token protest in
03:59memory of what Rahul Gandhi says.
04:01Fallen students who took their own lives at the back of the neat paper leaks and also those who lie
04:07injured with what the Congress Party and Rahul Gandhi alleged.
04:10Brutal police force and rapid action and other security forces force that was used on the 20th of July.
04:17Question right now remains, will they be allowed to leave?
04:22Because they are trying to make a political meal out of a standoff that continues right now between the protesters
04:29and Jantar Mantar and the government.
04:35I want to connect to Rahul Gautam and then I am going to cut across to Rajdeep Sardisai who is
04:38also going to give us the latest on that.
04:41But Rahul, what's the latest?
04:42Are they being stopped right now or are they allowed passage and they can leave for Gandhi Smriti?
04:52Well, we have to really wait for that whether they will be allowed to go to Gandhi Smriti or not
04:57at this January lane.
04:58But you can see in these visuals, these are two buses which have been brought in here, which are taking
05:06MPs.
05:07There are close to, you know, 100, 150 MPs from various political parties, including Congress Party.
05:14You can see Casey Venugopal at the very doorstep, at the very gate of this bus.
05:18You can see Ranjit Ranjan and we've been informed that all these MPs will be going to Gandhi Smriti Bhavan
05:26and obviously they will try to create a narrative.
05:29Again, we'll try to push a government further to the wall.
05:33We have seen this earlier also.
05:35Rahul, can you take us through the representation of the India Alliance?
05:39Because Rahul says Congress along with the India Alliance members.
05:42Which all parties are in attendance today inside the bus?
05:46Can you take us through the names?
05:51Well, the entire opposition block is currently here at Rahul Gandhi's residence.
05:57There is Supriya Sule from NCP, Shantabar faction.
06:01There's obviously Sanjay Yadav and Misa Bharti from RJD.
06:07There's Mahu Amaji from JMM.
06:09There is Arvind Sabant from Shiv Sena.
06:11There is, we've been informed, MP from Samajwadi Party as well.
06:19Ramjilal Suvath.
06:20So you can say the entire leadership is being represented at this point of time as far as India block
06:26is concerned.
06:27And again, that's the intent also.
06:29Where are you going?
06:30Our country is.
06:32This is our country.
06:32This is the title of the police.
06:34The police called me, I'm scared.
06:35I'm scared.
06:36We're not scared.
06:37Where are you going?
06:39We're going.
06:39Where are you going?
06:41We're going.
06:47We're going.
06:50We're going to be there.
06:54Yes, 3rd January.
06:56We are going to be there.
06:58Because this government is going to crack the old students.
07:02We are going to be there now.
07:04Let us see that.
07:05Let us see that.
07:41The Uddhav Sena and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP might be gravitating towards the NDA.
07:48So that here today there is Supriya Suley, they're representing the Sharad Pawar NCP faction and you have Armin Sawant
07:55representing the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thakre faction.
07:58Will they be allowed to leave is the big question I want to pull in.
08:01Rajdeep Sardisaya, consulting editor.
08:04In all the political action Rajdeep that is taking place, it does seem that the India Alliance understands that they
08:10need to make a political meal of the standoff that continues.
08:13Let's listen in to reactions and then Rajdeep over to you.
08:17Papu Yadav right now speaking.
08:30Look, it seems that the India Alliance, particularly Rahul Gandhi, has made a conscious decision that we are going to
08:37fight this battle in the streets, not in the sunset.
08:40The BJP wants this battle now to be fought in the sunset, saying we are open for a debate.
08:45I think the sense that Rahul Gandhi gets is that having a debate in parliament is not going to serve
08:51any purpose.
08:52There will be grandstanding on both sides.
08:54And at the end of the day, Dharmendra Pradhan will be where it is.
08:57And the fact is, perhaps the BJP has a better array of speakers than the opposition has, particularly when it
09:03comes to the Lok Sabha.
09:04They have higher numbers as well, and all the channels will cover it live.
09:07So they've decided, rather than fight this battle on the terms that the government is setting, which is in parliament,
09:13we will take this battle to the street.
09:15And that's exactly what's happening.
09:17You saw this happen two days ago when he staged this dharna outside the PM's residence.
09:22Now planning to go to Gandhi Smiti.
09:24This is the politics of spectacle.
09:26This is the politics where you want to create some kind of optics.
09:31Political optics that we are with the students, we are out there with you, we are ready to go to
09:36a stage of dharna outside PM's residence, go to Gandhi Smiti.
09:40So it's an interesting, you know, it is actually the way often opposition parties used to do it in the
09:46past.
09:47That you took the street while the government wants the sunset.
09:50So, because the government has the numbers in the sunset.
09:53I mean, overwhelming numbers.
09:55They should have done it earlier though.
09:56Earlier meaning when?
09:57They have woken up now after the students have come out onto the streets and demanded action.
10:01But parliament has been on only for three days.
10:03You've now realized.
10:04When did the leak happen?
10:07But no, no, no.
10:07To be fair, the Congress party has been picking up the issue of paper leaks.
10:11They have been going across all states including Rajasthan.
10:13The way around Gandhi, the way the protest has been happening right now to this scale, Preeti.
10:17No, no.
10:17When the leak happened?
10:18Why have you decided now to hit the streets?
10:22Can I factually correct you?
10:25Because there's students out there.
10:26Ma'am, I think you should have a factual correction.
10:27The fact is on the 17th of June, Rahul Gandhi did a Chhatro Ki Goons rally in Kota.
10:32Yeah, he's been doing it.
10:33Just a minute.
10:34On the 17th of July, he did another rally in Deradun.
10:37In that one month in between, when Rahul Gandhi was missing in action, you could argue that.
10:42That's when the Kokhrut Janata Party came in and took over that space.
10:46Sonam Vangchuk lands up there, goes on a fast and thereby the entire movement gets amplified.
10:52Which is great.
10:52Right?
10:53The fact is, therefore, NSUI has been doing protests across the country.
10:57But you and I don't cover the NSUI protests.
10:59I think where the Kokhrut Janata Party got it right.
11:02They got the imagination of the Gen Z.
11:04No, no, no.
11:04It's not about imagination.
11:06They came to the right place, right time.
11:08Got the right kind of person in Sonam Vangchuk who's not associated directly.
11:12They got the imagination of Gen Z?
11:13No, no, no.
11:14They hadn't got the imagination of Gen Z till at Jantar Mantar, Sonam Vangchuk lands and decides to go on
11:19fast.
11:20Until then, there were about, you know, the numbers were very small.
11:23It was a social media storm till then and that's when they started.
11:26No, no.
11:26My point is, since you said, why didn't they go earlier?
11:30They've done it.
11:30I think the mistake, I think the fact is that Chhatro Ki Goonj in state capitals, in the way the
11:35media ecosystem is,
11:37is not going to capture the imagination beyond state, you know, NSUI doing protests in Jaipur.
11:42A very big protest was barely covered except for the Rajasthan papers.
11:47Now you've got parliament.
11:48I think the real battle is the last four days.
11:50Rahul Gandhi is speaking.
11:51Okay, no, he just spoke to the media and, all right, and he's just walking into the bus.
11:57So, at least for now, viewers, what seems is that the India Alliance, along with the Congress leaders,
12:03are going to be allowed to move to where they want to go, which is Gandhi, Smriti, Rajghat.
12:10Will they, how, you know, will it happen?
12:13We don't quite know.
12:14We're going to keep a keen eye on developments.
12:16Right now, they've all got into buses, is what we've been given to understand.
12:21So, what we're going to do is…
12:22You're covering it live.
12:23While we keep…
12:24You see, their entire, their entire burden of their song is that the media doesn't cover the opposition live.
12:30This is Rahul Gandhi's way of saying, I'm going to create every day a spectacle where you will be forced
12:36to cover me live.
12:37That's the point.
12:38Now, whether you approve of it, disapprove of it…
12:40When he creates a spectacle, stands outside his residence and also protests, right now, Rajdeep, we'll cover it.
12:45Why?
12:45Because the students are out there.
12:47Agreed.
12:47So, what we've done is that the Congress essentially…
12:49Okay, while it is the return of street protest, it is also the return of street politics,
12:54is at least what we've seen in the last three days,
12:56which started off Rahul Gandhi and other leaders squatting in front of the Prime Minister's residence,
13:00and then you had Rahul Gandhi do the press conference yesterday,
13:03and today, optics, and all political optics, of course, of the Congress and the India Alliance members moving towards Rajghat.
13:10But would they have done it if there wasn't a strong parallel protest taking place in Jantar Mantar?
13:15Well, that is debatable, and we can speak, talk about that later.
13:19Right now.
13:20Welcome to the next edition of the Democratic Newsroom.
13:24So, we're going to keep an eye on all the latest developments,
13:28and you'll keep seeing them on one of our windows in this studio,
13:31which is, will Rahul Gandhi be stopped?
13:33And we'll keep relaying the latest information out.
13:35But the moot point of the Democratic Newsroom this evening is, viewers,
13:41what you see in terms of the massive protest, and it is massive, we have to accept it,
13:46where it's with what happened in Delhi, the Gen Z ire, the Gen Z rage, the Gen Z anger.
13:53Is it manufactured or is it genuine?
13:55I'm going to get all our editors today to weigh in right off the bat.
14:01For someone who spent the last three days there,
14:04I'd like to at least start with my take.
14:07The anger is definitely genuine.
14:10Yes, there are people who are trying to make a fast buck on that anger,
14:14and they're going to cash in on that anger,
14:16but you cannot discount the organic rage of Gen Z at the back of this protest.
14:21Let's begin.
14:22Rajdeep, would you like to start?
14:23Then I'll go to Gaurav.
14:24Look, I think any protest when it reaches a certain critical mass is partly organic, partly manufactured.
14:35I think a large part of the protest, certainly over the last month, has been organic.
14:41Otherwise, a social media campaign, online campaign, getting such traction offline,
14:46could not have happened unless it was both organic and to some extent manufactured.
14:51What do I mean by manufactured?
14:52I mean that political parties get in, they also get in their cadres into the protests.
14:58That happens to all protests.
15:00It happened with the farmers' protests as well.
15:02You had various Kisan Sangatnas joining the protests.
15:06I think the same thing is happening here.
15:08When I was on the ground, I saw a lot of people who've come here out of sheer spontaneity,
15:13and not just students, and I think we've got to realize, parents, or those who've gone through the system,
15:18they feel anxious and angry at a general collapse in the education system.
15:23It's not just Dharmendra Pradhan.
15:25The paper leaks has been a trigger for the kind of anger and anxiety with an education system
15:30that is grossly unequal.
15:31That has absolutely no place for those who cannot afford private education, go to the best colleges.
15:38Look, India is three India.
15:39There's India A, A+.
15:40They will send their kids to private colleges, private universities, or abroad.
15:44The secession of the successful.
15:46Then you have India B and India C.
15:48These are people who are struggling at the margins of life.
15:51They have to pay high fees for nursery, right up to any management course.
15:56They have all come out there because the paper leaks has been a trigger that has reminded them of their
16:02own anxiety to give them.
16:04Where the organic crowd is concerned, it is even part A of what you're talking about.
16:09People have come to join this protest, and that has been an equalizer where this protest is concerned.
16:15People have come in from all walks of life.
16:17But 80% to 90% are India B and C from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra.
16:25But Rajdeep, only 10% is India A.
16:2880% or 85% to 90% is India B and C.
16:31In my view, this protest has really triggered, has been driven by the anger and anxiety of those who feel
16:39left out of our education system.
16:41Those who feel job opportunities are few.
16:44Those who feel that the entire system is ranged against them.
16:47Those who see government exams repeatedly getting delayed, recruitment getting delayed.
16:52Who see privatization taking place across, so government jobs getting fewer, contracts, labor, contract jobs.
16:57Rajdeep, over the last three days, I have seen people who have come here, those who want accountability.
17:02Yeah, yeah, but they are not going to drive this protest.
17:05They will come one day, two days.
17:06The protest is being driven by those from UP and Bihar who see no future for themselves.
17:11Gaurav manufactured a genuine.
17:12No, anger is genuine.
17:14There is no denying that fact.
17:17Everybody in India is angry.
17:19We are the land of Nalanda and Takshashila universities.
17:22You cannot have paper leaks in our country.
17:25But then do keep in mind, 2026 is not the first paper leak.
17:30Unfortunately, it's been happening and I'm so glad people are out on the streets to compel the government, take action
17:36and ensure it does not happen again.
17:38But it has to be done in parliament.
17:40It has to be done.
17:41Our lawmakers need to put their heads together and come out with a law so that this doesn't happen again.
17:46But as we do that, look, yes, there are multiple Indias who are there.
17:50There are students who are impacted.
17:52And then there are those professional Andolan GVs who will try and hijack every movement for their vested interest.
17:59You see, what is happening in India right now?
18:01Do I see that sense of doom and gloom everywhere?
18:04No, I do not.
18:05Look, just right now in India, you've actually, hear me out.
18:08Rajdeep was not interrupted.
18:10Please hear me out.
18:11He was interrupted.
18:11Please hear me out.
18:12We've had Skyroot Aerospace that has launched a satellite, private sector satellite being launched in space, etching India's name in
18:21space.
18:22Now, but then there are also those who are trying to launch their stalled political careers through these Andolan GVs,
18:29through these student protests.
18:31Which successful protests hasn't had hanger-ons or those who want to a-comment struggle or build political capital at
18:37the back of it?
18:38Now, every successful protest has added the Shaheen Baghdadi's, the CA rights that took place in Delhi, the same ecosystem
18:45will turn up everywhere.
18:46And then you'll have some elements which will come in Article 370.
18:49Article 370 will lay out.
18:51Article 370 will be hatha do.
18:53Article 370 will be hatha do.
19:02foreign
19:33we are not able to get out of the way
19:35but the main message is to students
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21:46cameras firmly on them do we have a ground reporter to go to all right we're going to
21:52cut across to our reporters in a short while but we're going to keep at it and get you the
21:57latest
21:57listen in to rahul gandhi and we're back with our editors
22:04all right i think uh akshita you want to come and let's get back to the democratic newsroom
22:10because it does seem okay the bus is moving there is a driver back the bus is moving
22:16all right we're gonna we're gonna go back to the visuals so you know sometimes it really happens
22:21we had a planned show we all had to sit here where democratic newsroom was concerned it was a planned
22:26show but news breaks happen and there is a news break that is now uh with rahul gandhi and the
22:32india alliance members all in a bus all right we have mosh me let's dip in
23:02so what we're going to do is now get back to the democratic newsroom
23:05uh you had rajdeep give out his uh point of view gaurav's interjection i've already picked aside
23:12ire anger genuine people cashing in on it like any other successful protest let's go so before
23:20akshita tonal you spend some time there yes i did and before i talk about what's really happening on
23:25the ground i just want to say this to rajdeep sir with all due respect two months ago we were
23:29in this
23:29democratic newsroom when we were discussing the cockroach janta party you went out to say
23:34kya sab internet per likhne se kuch nahi hota hai real protest is on the ground i am really sad
23:40that in
23:40your opening remark first thing you have not said is the fact that you have to take the youth of
23:45the
23:45country seriously it is it is the same not acknowledging of anger that is spilling out on
23:52the field i want you to first take a minute again i what did i say i said having an
23:57online movement is
23:58not enough you've got to take it offline they've done that i acknowledge it they had an online
24:03movement two months ago you this online movement has not unnerved the government the government has
24:08been unnerved when the online movement has turned offline i maintain what i said at the outset
24:14sonam wangchuk coming in there gave it a certain credibility remember if this was a political
24:20movement or only a movement of abhigit dipke it would have not got the kind of fraction it was
24:25critical it was critical it was critical to have a face it's like anna hazare anna hazare at that time
24:30became a face that suddenly people gravitated what is this thing if gen z this gen z word
24:36maklab zed se ziddi bhi hota hai you know that yeah yeah but gen z is not one thing just
24:41because
24:41just because they're young people you should dismiss it nobody's dismissing it nobody's dismissing it
24:47no no no no no no can we go one by one i just want to also tell our viewers
24:52that the barricades
24:53have been opened and rahul gandhi and the india alliance members are being allowed to go to gandhi
24:58smriti all right with that actually i want to just finish i just want to finish we're spending a lot
25:03of
25:03time on politicians i think let's bring the focus back on protesters and let's bring the focus back
25:08on where the protest data is on day 26 earlier it was about paper leak then it became about sonam
25:15wangchuk i don't think the protest right now and what you're seeing is about any of that right now
25:19people are just angry that the government is not listening to them the sentiment has shifted completely
25:25it is no longer about why did you pick up sonam wangchuk it is no longer about it has been
25:32taken over
25:32no longer about anyone and it is not about just delhi it is not just about violence here violence
25:37that it is captured the imagination of the country and it is it is unacceptable of course
25:43violence is unacceptable
25:45of course
25:46okay one second actually i think a couple of things here one is that i don't think anyone at this
25:52point
25:52is saying that gen z is not capable of being out there i'm protesting for their rights they've
25:57shown clearly what they're capable of nobody ever said that one second just hold on sonal i think
26:03we need to make a distinction here that if you question the cockroach junta party and say that
26:07they need to hit the streets that doesn't mean we're questioning gen z there's a difference there
26:10right if there are youngsters out on the streets we're going to say 100 their voices need to be
26:15heard that doesn't mean that we can't question the cockroach junta party they're not the placard
26:19holders alone for gen z there are students out there who are not part of cockroach junta party
26:23who have come for the course who have nothing to do with cjp who don't want anything to do with
26:27the cjp but believe this is about cjp i have not which is my point it is not about the
26:32cjp but you
26:32are saying that it's not about the cjp it's not about let me tell you it's not about the cjp
26:38anymore
26:38but it was about the cjp let me tell you why i'm drawing the connection because sonal you said that
26:43questioning cjp equals questioning chansi not at all not at all i think we're all set you told that to
26:48no i said you dismissed the youth movement by saying pehle protest but it wasn't it
26:53yes sir it was exactly the definition i'll begin my experience here he questions cjp that's not
26:59okay one by one one by one don't agree i've been a i've been a student protester including joining
27:05plenty of protests which have slightly turned violent as young reporters we covered the nearby protest
27:102010 2012 i was lathe charged by the cops as well we know how we covered it it was disturbing
27:16but what are
27:17we witnessing now is a disturbing trend that i am critical of and that is legitimizing violence
27:23even as a retaliation and let me explain that why i think it's concerning the protesters are young
27:28they need to realize they are angry they want to change but they have to show restrain and how
27:34they are sitting there for a reason the reason is you want to bring change how do you bring a
27:39change
27:39not by mob lynching reporters or attempting to mob lynch saying you are godi
27:43you are telling an anchor reporter like me who wants to come with best intentions to report about
27:49you there are there was an elderly reporter of a certain network who was being called loser loser by
27:55these young protesters i want to tell the protesters you have to engage if you if you think you mob
28:00lynching an elderly cop because kisine lathe charge kia will give you a legitimacy you're pushing back
28:06people dr jitendra singh said four times we are approaching the cjp spokespersons they are putting
28:12conditions on where to meet you have to engage the media the police and the authorities that's
28:18when you say i'm telling the protesters but can i can i i'll make you i there are some youngsters
28:23who are not realizing preethi on camera on a social media time like this you're
28:31that's not going to help your cause i understand your anger all 20 somethings we all have felt it
28:37but if you go ahead whatever abusive word you are using it will not help your protest it's only going
28:43to
28:43fire up can i tell you something and it's on the earlier part with what you said and you said
28:47that
28:47i want to tell the protesters you know one thing i would reckon for where this protest and the gen
28:54z
28:54the youth is concerned they don't care what you have to tell them i think one thing that you learned
28:58when you are on ground right now yes and i think that's a learning because i've unlearned a lot of
29:03things when i've spent three days this generation right now the organic yes the ones who come of their
29:08own volition were genuine students who are there of their own volition they don't care but they're
29:13allowing people to hijack your genuine but that happens but puja that is why you have to restrain
29:19it that happens in every movement we've covered it was allowed it led to a change it led to pressure
29:25on the government nirbhai protest justice warma committee was set up it led to a change have you
29:29forgotten movement can i you forgot i want to go back okay then then puja let's go back to the
29:33nirbhai protest
29:34yes it that also led to a change what happened there the government immediately intervened yes
29:38you had both manmohan singh at that point of time the prime minister and sonia gandhi go to the
29:43hospital where nirbhai was there and laws were changed made sure that nirbhai was taken to singapore
29:47yes so you saw the government move in i'm not comparing the two there is no point comparing the
29:51two but you saw immediate engagement i'm with you on that then you come there should have been
29:55an immediate intervention i'm with you on that then you come to anna hazare anna hazare ended
29:59his fast on day 11 because the government because the government intervened right the government
30:04intervened one thing i will say a lot of anger is being directed at the police here yes the police
30:10is the face of a protest and some would say maybe the face of political incompetence you haven't been
30:15able to manage the protest politically you put the police forward what do the police do what does the
30:20police do they what their job is to curtail it they are trying to use force in whatever manner in
30:26which
30:26they can i feel after 2021 since the republic day protest that we saw at the red phone i i
30:31want to
30:32urge to the protesters that there are reporters with you there are people with you who want to join
30:37but they don't think we are with them also puja a lot of them don't think we are with that's
30:40where
30:40if we are opening up you need to open up as well no but and if i may students have
30:45a genuine cause
30:46the professional andolan gvs are only here to pursue their own agenda the targeting of the police
30:53the targeting of the police that took place whether it were protests earlier the anti-ca riots or you
30:59know the january incident that puja mentioned when red fort was targeted it's the same ecosystem that is
31:05at play and that's very dangerous as far as these youngsters are concerned the as far as these youngsters
31:10are concerned remember there is technology there is technology these same students tomorrow will be
31:15applying for visas passports universities government jobs upsc whatever they may be applying for god
31:22forbid when professional protesters who toh apna career banalenge apna political career banalenge
31:27in batcho ka career but can i come again and say they don't care they don't care they will
31:32they don't care they may not care at 20 they will look we were we covered mandal and we were
31:38you know we were also students at the time of mandal hear me out but that's the resilience of youth
31:43right
31:43that's the resilience again if you only want to speak yourself and not going to hear us make your
31:47time make your point my point is you may not care when you're 20 it impacts you when you're 30s
31:53in
31:53your 40s and subsequently so that is why yes protest read write speak protest do not pelt stones at
32:01security forces but that that will have that will have an impact those elements need to be singled
32:09out those elements need to be targeted you know first of all first of all you know i think my
32:15friend gaurav sawan spends too much time in an air-conditioned studio he should go down to
32:19jantar mantar and meet one minute one minute one minute i've spent much more time using these words
32:26very you know loosely the problem is that you know this labeling and lecturing must stop you know that
32:33you that you know you should be worried about your future yes 95 percent of those who are there
32:40are there because they genuinely uh empathize with the cause there may be five or ten percent
32:45who you want to call andolan gv's or professional and in my view thank god in this country that you
32:51have protesters india is not china mr sawan india is a democracy in where everyone has the right to
32:57what's it what is a democracy you will not have one minute you know the street will decide attacking
33:05the police policemen you should time mr sawan who is okay okay so the fact is you know using these
33:11but the unfortunate aspect is you're absolutely right a lot of these issues should have been
33:16settled in parliament the fact is parliament no longer debates these issues because parliament
33:20has become a notice board for the government the parliament is not going to debate issues that
33:25embarrass them anymore nor will they concede to any demands that the opposition makes that's the
33:29nature of a dominating dominating government not just this but previous governments also that have been
33:34in majority my limited point is this the concerns of these students the anxiety anger that i spoke
33:40of at the outset is genuine yes our school system government school system is broken do you know
33:46the number of schools in this country whether you do not girls do not have a toilet do you know
33:50the
33:50number of schools in this country where teachers are absent do you know the number of schools in
33:54this country where you do not have basic infrastructure facilities do you know the number of colleges in
34:00this country that are being set up without basic facilities everything is justified so so india
34:06there is those issues as i said but don't paint stones no no no don't paint you know the tragedy
34:11is
34:11you are used two visuals and this is no there are not two visuals there are not just two visuals
34:17okay how many people in the hundred protesters have been severely injured and 10 policemen have
34:22been injured you are compared i do not want to draw anyone who suffers from violence unacceptable in the
34:29same environment you are people who are topping iips and iams one second one second the government has
34:35to come in here preeti government will have to intervene because eventually the anger is against
34:39the government rightly so there will have to be representatives from both sides who can come on
34:44the same page put the ego aside and we'll have to eventually it's about the next generation they are
34:48watching they want students first you know you know one thing is there if today there is the youth
34:54which feels aggrieved that the politicians the government is not standing with them that most
35:00of the media is not standing with them you know yes we it's also that's again fake narrative that's
35:06fake narrative if there is a part that might be a fake narrative for you gaurav but if today there
35:11is
35:12a set of genuine uh students and youth that feels the government is right now not standing with them
35:18and i'm bringing us in as well that the media is not standing with them we all need to reflect
35:23and
35:23cause correct but akshita what has happened in the last couple of weeks with reporters being attacked
35:29in the manner in which they have that is not fair because that again goes against unacceptable
35:34unacceptable that goes against the grain akshita of what most of these young people believe in
35:40which is you don't subscribe to mob lynching you don't subscribe to kangaroo courts and they're
35:44doing exactly that hopefully some introspection also in the section of the media that if the media is
35:51to label you are anti-national you are andolan gv you are khanistani no all of this must stop every
35:57night you are converting your studio into a kangaroo court and the people are unchecking
36:02to it they're objecting to it start doing journalism they won't object no no no let's justify in any way
36:08what's happening rajdeep this is a democratic protest but you must understand why the anger is there
36:12because you are converting your studio a certain ecosystem is peddling that narrative
36:19no it is true let's do it let's do a survey we just said that if there is anger towards
36:25us we
36:26need to self-reflect but this is not the way go ahead so you stop labeling people also no no
36:32let's
36:32do it stop labeling people all the time you are anti-national you are khalistani you are this stop
36:36this rajdeep let's just condemn the attack on journalists cool stop i don't think you can add
36:40a butt to it i'm saying please do it now okay i don't think we can add a butt to
36:46it we just have
36:47to stop saying that you have to condemn this kind of attack there is something wrong in our media
36:51also i think very clearly our media ecosystem can you just say this one second let's go one more
36:56going to use hindu muslim politics do muslim politics here see this is where stay on the issue
37:04of students can we just go one by one come on rajdeep not expected preet you were quite scary
37:11let me just say that i think when every one of us speaks out of our experience it's very clear
37:17that
37:17none of us in this room are gen z right and so we don't really understand the emotion that they
37:22have
37:22i think that generation is also the kind who's very clear that you know we have
37:26nothing at stake here we want what we want and we will go ahead and push for it rajdeep said
37:30that
37:30this is something that should be brought up in parliament yes but i also think citizens have
37:34a right to go ahead and push for it for their demand they have a right to hit the streets
37:37and say we
37:37want the resignation of the education minister and i don't think it's unfair for that particular call
37:41look at the end of the day non-violence sure it's not interrupt because we must be calm go ahead
37:49okay
37:50gaurav ultimately you know yes it is a non-violent protest it started off as that for 20 days it
37:54was
37:55completely non-violent till we saw what happened on july 20th which unfortunately is the reality of
38:01every single protest where it kind of spirals out of control but that doesn't take away from the core
38:05idea of what this agitation is i still believe that sure you can have a parliament debate but it cannot
38:10stop students who are frustrated who are understandably angry who understandably want
38:16change from coming out and saying we want this this this this okay and there can be no middle ground
38:20on that i think there should be 100 an outreach to them you know i'm going to go into a
38:25break if all
38:26of us don't behave i'm sorry i have to say it it's like a classroom here can we please go
38:30one by one
38:30can i get sonal to come in and puja right after that we'll go to you make your turn i
38:35think we need
38:36to take a deep breath at the moment and understand what is it that the youth of the country really
38:40wants and what is it that they have faced i go back to the point they are really hurt by
38:45the force
38:46that has been used by the government against them there were lumpen elements on both sides we all
38:50know that in different protests we've seen but we've never seen this kind of high-handedness by the
38:55delhi police i'm speaking out of experience of covering almost all protests that have happened
39:00in the past 15 years at least that have been on the streets but you know sonam you don't have
39:04to
39:04the last one second that's happened i'll give you three examples i'll give you can i bring okay
39:10allow her to finish can i finish allow her if i this is if december 16th is one sort of
39:19template that
39:20you want to look at and compare youth protest and people coming on the road not a particular agency
39:27not a particular community not a particular section but people genuinely is pouring out on the streets
39:32december 16th also saw protests and pushback by the government on one evening and then things calmed
39:38down subhash the constable had died and people then took a back seat successively three days
39:43regularly you've seen pushback and you've seen high-handedness the videos that are out this time
39:48very gen z and i don't have to be one to actually know them and report them that's just an
39:52instinct as
39:52a reporter i think all of us have you have to understand that today in rml hospital at ames and
39:58at
39:58lady harding there are three 20 21 23 year olds one of them has lost his eye he will not
40:03be able to
40:04see with one no he could no i want to correct one second one second i want to correct he
40:08could lose
40:08his eye yes there was a 21 year old uh on a ventilator she's off the ventilator we want to
40:13put
40:13out not talking about that we are just putting out talking about the girl but sahil one second one
40:18second there have been multiple there have been and we must put that on record sonal there have been
40:24multiple instances in the past and one is only looking at delhi if you look at like rajdeep
40:29often uses a word the tyranny of distance if you look at protests that have happened in the north
40:34east uh if you look at other protests that have happened look at what happened during the farm
40:38protest there were over what 60 farmers who died in that farm protest and there was brutal force that
40:43was used because those were boomers they didn't have a camera uh to start taking videos then gen z
40:48see before anything happens there's a video already on did you have information is a lot more did you
40:53have an raf officer did you have an raf officer tick someone off and then go and back yes there
41:00is
41:00there is one second one how can you in the farm protest there was here there is a charge that
41:08were
41:08gun pellets used in the farm protest actual bullets were used is a question mark we still don't have an
41:14answer
41:14prithi you know we can't be caution yeah we need to show about what can be done here now
41:21because we're talking about we're talking about an average age less than one okay can we just speak
41:27one we are talking about an average age less than 25 it's the youth it's the future of this country
41:31what is the next step the next step is engage the government needs to engage with the youth the media
41:37needs to engage and these protesters need to engage with the media of course restrain has to be shown by
41:42the forces but let's also understand prithi the situation did turn volatile there's a reason as
41:48much as no justification for the violence use but situation did turn to a certain extent that lati charge
41:54had to be done stone pelting was done we've seen visuals not justifying it i want to reiterate but
41:59we have to understand there will have to be restraint shown from both sides eventually we are with the
42:04youth of this country but the youth will know the organizers of this protest you know i have last four
42:08minutes and i am don't let don't let anti-social elements hijack your protest you know it's
42:14impossible when a protest gains the size and mammoth i agree that kind of elements you can't filter it
42:21but i think also we need to show a bit of caution when we point fingers this side or that
42:25side there's
42:25an investigation that's underway and let's wait for those details before we jump the gun time yourself to
42:30i just want to say i think there is one gen z that is wonderfully aspirational that has all kinds
42:36of
42:36opportunities that's doing remarkable stuff that my generation could not do it's a lucky generation
42:42india has far more opportunities for a particular section of of india's 1.4 billion people but there's
42:48a large bulge which simply does not have those opportunities what i am seeing is that anger and
42:54anxiety coming out and the unfortunate part i am talking about a very i'm talking about a very basic
43:12thing the fact is that we are a deeply unequal society in an unequal society every now and then
43:18the lava will come out there will be there's a flare-up there will be various issues from time
43:23to time paper leaks paper leaks reflected that because you should go and meet the parents i keep
43:29repeating forget the student the parents who have loaned i met someone who has whose father had loaned
43:34his farmland so that the son could try and appear for me please think of that student god of 30
43:40seconds i
43:40don't have time please let's get everybody in so i wish there was now a solutions oriented approach
43:45a debate on the streets a debate in parliament debate everywhere find a solution to stop paper
43:51leaks the prime minister says now fast track court time bound action and harshest possible action
43:57let that reflect because remember from 2004 to 24 if you take 10 years you've had paper leaks you have
44:04aims entrance examination ptt so many paper leaks are happening it's a wider problem it's not a political
44:11party it's not one state in a country it's a problem let everyone come together and find a
44:16solution 10 seconds all i have to say is you know i feel that there's no middle ground on this
44:21and yes
44:22the prime minister has made an assurance which is great because then he's recognized that yes there's
44:25a certain movement and that there's a need to address what the students feel on the paper leaks but
44:29there needs to be beyond just something like a fast track i think we need to go beyond this politics
44:36go
44:37beyond what people are saying who's getting arrested what's happening i think the focus needs to go
44:41back on what gen z wants and what they inherently want is to be heard their voices to be heard
44:47and
44:47they also want the leaders to hear them out i don't think they're looking for somebody to come and give
44:52a resignation or whatever they want their voices to have a representation please do not make gen z some
45:00uh uniform monolith in a country like india there is a gen z whose parents may be vvip's ministers leaders
45:07who send their sons to ivy league colleges they don't know they don't know they don't know
45:14you have 10 seconds interact engage ensure that youth of this country is heard the government needs
45:21to immediately come in ensure this does not escalate because i can see elements who will completely turn
45:26this around for the protesters all right you know okay that's all the time that we have for now for
45:29those of our uh viewers who are young uh who feel that there is a trust deficit and they are
45:35watching
45:36we hope that the government hears your voice and if there is a trust deficit even on the account of
45:40media we are going to also try and self-reflect but there is no space we start attacking press and
45:47young
45:47reporters out there just doing their job thank you for watching
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