‘Clearly a political movement’: BJP’s Charu Pragya on Jantar Mantar protest

New Delhi: It was very clear that the recent protest at was a political movement and it had all kind of Opposition leaders speaking at the platform, leader Charu Pragya said on Wednesday. Speaking exclusively to News9 Managing Editor Kartikeya Sharma, she said that it was not a movement for accountability. She added that while she did not go to the protest site, she was keenly observing it.

‘Was keenly observing the protests at Jantar Mantar’

“Though I did not go to the protest site, I was very keenly observing it. I will tell you something that stood out for me. In the beginning, it was very clear that it was a political movement. It was not the movement asking for accountability since the platform that was created at Jantar Mantar had all kind of political leaders from the Opposition who came and spoke. They were given that space,” she said.

Pragya added, “ All the heroism that people want to attribute to Abhijeet Dipke, at the end of the day did he stand up and did he say that you cannot discuss reversing abrogation of Article 370 from this stage? He did not say that. When there were slogans against Hindus gods, when things were said which were not needed at that space. Did he stand up and say that this is not the platform for that kind of a conversation? He allowed the mention of Sharjeel Imam or Umar Khalid on that platform.”

There are different kinds of Gen Z in India: Charu Pragya

When asked on her thoughts on what happened in Jantar Mantar during those 72 hours or her thoughts on young people, whom people in this country call Gen Z, she added, “There are different kinds of Gen Z in the country. ,I don’t think every single youngster must be painted alike. That is not what India is. Demography changes when region changes, when geography changes, when aspiration changes. For example, what a child in a village is asking for may not be the same as a child whose parents work in MNCs in cities. So I believe calling everybody young Gen Z is not the way to go”.

“If you want to understand them, you need to understand them better; you need to allow them their independent space, their independent way of thinking. Every single young person was not at Jantar Mantar. Every single young person was also not on the streets. I am a mother to an 18-year-old kid today. He did not believe that going to Jantar Mantar was the only way to ask for accountability of the government,” she said further.