- 6 weeks ago
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Siddharth Yadav, and IIT alumnus Ashutosh Ranka participated in a televised panel discussion focusing on political outreach, Gen Z voters, youth employment, and education policy in India. Supriya Shrinate criticized the ruling administration over persistent issue of paper leaks, high unemployment rates, basic infrastructure deficits, the closure of government schools, and the handling of student protests. In defense of the government, Siddharth Yadav highlighted achievements from the past decade, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, digital infrastructure, the expansion of the startup ecosystem, unicorns, and the increased number of AIIMS, IITs, and NEET seats nationwide. Ashutosh Ranka called on political parties to provide concrete solutions for institution quality and job creation rather than relying on social media strategies. The debate reflected political strategy and policy disputes regarding educational reforms and employment statistics ahead of upcoming elections.
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00:00Okay, let's then turn to our big talking point tonight.
00:03Who is leading the race to woo Gen Z among our political parties?
00:08Were youth issues ignored till now?
00:11Have our parties only woken up to the Gen Z power now?
00:16And is social media key to winning over India's young and Gen Z?
00:21Those are some of the questions I'll raise.
00:23Supriya Srine, Chairperson of the Social Media Digital Platforms
00:27and member of the Congress Working Committee, national spokesperson joining me.
00:31Ashutosh Ranka is co-convener of Cockroach Janata Party.
00:35Siddharth Yadav, national media co-convener of the BJP and an advocate at the Supreme Court.
00:40Good to have all of you on the show.
00:42Let me start with you, Supriya Srineet.
00:45Do you believe that the political parties of this country have only now,
00:51after what happened in the last month, particularly with the Cockroach Janata Party
00:55taking up the issue of paper leaks, woken up, finally, to Gen Z,
01:01this generation, this cohort between 18 and 29.
01:05Suddenly, it's the buzz.
01:11Thank you for having me on the show.
01:13And it's a good evening to you, your viewers and my fellow panelists.
01:15Absolutely not, Rajdeep.
01:17I think the young in this country have always mattered.
01:20And the young in this country have voted for the Congress.
01:22If it wasn't for the young, we wouldn't have formed a government in 2004 and in 2009.
01:26So it is absolutely wrong to say that we've, you know, India's politicians have woken up to the young.
01:32The reality is that even before the protests started at Jantar Mantar,
01:37the NSUI and the IYC, which is the student and the youth wing of the Congress,
01:41had done multiple protests against paper leak.
01:43But of course, I mean, with all due respect to you,
01:46but legacy media would not show voices of protest against the ruling government,
01:50against the incumbent government.
01:51That's point number one.
01:52Point number two, Rahul Gandhi was meeting Gen Z and young students as way back as two years,
01:57when his Bharat Jodo Yatra was happening three years back.
02:00He was meeting the young Indians and he figured out and he would speak about how restless they were.
02:04I remember a public speech that he gave about three years back and he said,
02:08Mr. Modi, you need to get your act together because the young are restless and they want job opportunities.
02:12They do not want their papers to be leaked.
02:14We were talking about a jobs calendar three to four years back.
02:17The reality is that this government, which is in power,
02:20has brushed aside concerns of a generation that's young,
02:24concerns of a generation that's aspirational,
02:26concerns of a generation that has found it very wanting as far as their own opportunities for a good future
02:32are concerned.
02:33Papers have leaked one after the other.
02:35There have been six to seven instances of neat paper leak.
02:38Why has this government not woken up?
02:39And very briefly, I want to point out one more thing.
02:42It's not about engaging with Gen Z.
02:45This government treated Gen Z with a certain amount of contempt.
02:49That contempt will have to go because this is the youth and this wants engagement.
02:53They don't want entertainment.
02:54And one last point I want to make is this government was very, very dismissive of the young.
03:00I mean, even while the protests were on, their incumbent MPs, Rangana Ranaut called them a generation gutter.
03:07There was another MP, Mr. Yogesh Chandolia, who called these bheriyas.
03:11The man who had to finally quit his job, Dharmend Pradhan, was on record to say,
03:15This was India's youth clamoring for your attention, wanting the issues to be raised.
03:22These are the name callings that were happening.
03:24I mean, one of their Madan Rathor, their sitting MP, called them Bhade Ke Tattoo.
03:29This is the kind of language that we are using for India's youth.
03:31This shows the contempt that you have for the young who have now taught you a lesson,
03:36who have taken the sheen of you, who have actually threadbare exposed you.
03:40And that's the power of youth anywhere in the world.
03:45Before I go to the BJP, ma'am, I just want to give you a bit of a fact check.
03:50You said that the youth have voted more for the Congress than the BJP.
03:54That's not true.
03:552019, 2024, I actually see the BJP maintains a much higher advantage among younger voters
04:01than they do among senior citizens.
04:03In 2019, 40% of young voters backed the BJP, according to the CSDS post-poll.
04:1021% supported the Congress.
04:12So, at the moment at least, we don't know what will happen in the next election.
04:16The fact is that the BJP still gets a large support base among the young.
04:21Can I make a point there?
04:22Yeah, very quickly.
04:24Yes.
04:25Can I make a very small point?
04:28Which is exactly what I said, that in 2004 and 2009, when we came to power,
04:33we did not come to power without the youth.
04:35I accept that the youth did wear towards the BJP, but that youth has from then on gone on
04:40to become millennials.
04:42The Gen Z, which is 18 and above today, or even Gen Alpha for that matter, is holding this
04:46government to account.
04:48It's actually showing a mirror to Mr. Modi.
04:50So much so that the BJP, in a very silly and a stupid way, has decided that all their 75
04:56-year-olds
04:56are Gen Z and that's the mistake the BJP is making.
04:59I'm glad they are making that mistake.
05:01Gen Z does not want you to become Gen Z.
05:03They want you to understand their issues.
05:06They want you to stand in solidarity.
05:08They don't want you to use their slang and their gestures that the Prime Minister suddenly
05:11started doing and made a complete fool of himself.
05:14They want a leader like Rahul Gandhi who listens to them.
05:17And that's the difference.
05:20Can I?
05:21Okay, can I just get Siddharth Yadar?
05:23Because strong words have been used against your leadership and therefore you have every
05:27right to respond, Siddharth.
05:28Because at the moment it appears the Prime Minister has told his ministers to get more active on
05:33social media, to start visiting universities and schools.
05:36Now, is that the answer or is that tokenism a knee-jerk reaction?
05:40That Gen Z has rattled the government so much that they are saying, okay, let's now get
05:44onto Instagram, let's get on social media, let's go to the university.
05:47You've been in power 12 years.
05:49Has it only now sunk in that maybe there's a disconnect with the youth?
05:58Good evening, Rajdeep.
05:59Good evening to all your viewers.
06:01I do have a right to respond, but I would not choose to respond in the crass language as
06:05my learned friend from the Congress Party has chosen to.
06:08But let me respond on the facts that she was speaking.
06:11She was right on only one account when she says that Gen Z doesn't want you to be Gen Z.
06:16That's absolutely right.
06:17And that's why I think she should go and suggest to her leader, who's now 57 years old, to stop
06:22calling himself a youth leader.
06:24He's not a youth leader.
06:25If he doesn't understand youth issues or if he doesn't understand what the youth is actually
06:29facing, so he should not keep himself telling that I am a youth and I project myself as a
06:36youth leader, there's youth in this country which is actually working in the manner, in
06:41the direction that the country needs and the country wants.
06:44This is point number one.
06:45Point number two, we are a party which actually gives representation to youth, which promotes
06:51the youth, not just in tokenism, but in mainstream policy making, making them part of decision
06:59making, making them part of the journey of Viksit Bharat.
07:02We have the youngest ever elected national president who's 45 years old when he was elected
07:08in the Bharatiya Janata Party, unlike Rahul Gandhi, again, which I would want to reiterate,
07:13who's 57 years old.
07:15Point number three, in Udaipur Central Working Committee in the Chintan Shivarta Congress had
07:20promised to themselves that we would have 50% representation of people under 50, not even youth,
07:26forget youth, but under 50 in the times to come.
07:29Today, out of 84 members in the CWC, there are only 13 who are under 50.
07:34So, the representation is 15%.
07:37So, I think, you know, the Congress is way beyond for themselves to be claiming somebody
07:42who cares about youth or youth representation or them being in mainstream.
07:46But that's not the whole point here, Rajdeep.
07:49The whole point is that it's actually Prime Minister Modi upon whom the youth of this country
07:54trusts.
07:54We have more than four crowd registrations in Pariksha Par Charcha.
07:58You would have seen the response, the kind of response that on one Instagram reel that
08:02had come, which even broke the record for the FIFA final reel that had come out.
08:08More than 300 million in 24 hours.
08:10That's the kind of connect that the Prime Minister had with people.
08:13The entire ecosystem that the youth of this country is currently living is the ecosystem
08:17built by this current government.
08:19When we inherited this government, we had a data running at 269 rupees on an average
08:24for 1 GB.
08:25Currently, what are the prices for internet?
08:27Right.
08:27All of us know that.
08:28And that is that ecosystem.
08:30What was the status for startups?
08:32300, more than 350 startups in the country now registered 2,40,000 startups.
08:37What was the status of unicorns?
08:39Only four unicorns in this country.
08:40Now, 110 plus unicorns.
08:42How many IITs, how many IIMs, how many AIMs, how many National Institutes of Importance?
08:46Should I give that data?
08:47Once you see that, you would realize that the entire status, the entire ecosystem that
08:51the youth of this country is living in.
08:53How much education, how much gross enrollment?
08:56Mr. Siddharth Yadav.
08:57Let me just complete.
08:58Mr. Siddharth Yadav.
08:59Mr. Siddharth Yadav.
09:03Yes, go ahead.
09:05Can I take 10 seconds, Rajdeep, if you would allow?
09:08Yes.
09:09Rajdeep, my only point is, the youth of this country is what is going to be the driving
09:15wheel for Viksit Bharat 2047.
09:18The Prime Minister has given this vision with which the youth of the country can connect,
09:23not Rahul Gandhi.
09:24When we say we want to build a Viksit Bharat in 2047, it's the youth which is driving it.
09:28And it is us who is giving that youth that opportunity.
09:31All these political parties and leaders like Rahul Gandhi who want to capitalize on, you know,
09:36they're sunking political ships and want, and want to think that we're going to learn
09:41the rice and learn something in the name of the country.
09:44I think the time for that is gone.
09:46The youth of this country can never, never accept a hypocrite leader like Rahul Gandhi who
09:52has double standard, who would look away in certain instances.
09:55Your 10th second is over.
09:57Mr. Yadav, Mr. Yadav, I gave you 10 seconds, you have gone well beyond that.
10:02I gave you 10 seconds.
10:04No, no, I've heard it.
10:05Yeah, you've rested your case.
10:07Ashutosh, yeah, good.
10:08Ashutosh Ranka, you know, I'm hearing the two major parties.
10:12One minute.
10:13A lot of this debate has been sparked off by the Kaukruj Janta Party in a way.
10:16Suddenly, it appears everyone is discovering Gen Z.
10:20How do you see it when you hear the two major national parties, both now Rahul Gandhi with
10:26Chhatro Ki Goonj, the prime minister now on Instagram urging his ministers to also connect
10:31with youth in universities?
10:33How do you see it?
10:34Are you cynical or are you hopeful?
10:39Well, Azdeep, number one, I think it's a welcome change that finally the political parties
10:46of this country are talking about the youth and not just talking, but actually engaging
10:50in the genuine issues which the youth have been facing for a long, long time.
10:55And, you know, in fact, not just the political parties, but the way parliament, although we
11:00could not see any productive debates in the parliament, but, you know, there is a clear
11:05intent, there is a clear push to talk about youth is a welcome change, number one.
11:09Number two, I don't really want to get into the fact whether it was CDP that started it,
11:14it was already happening.
11:16We are not in a race to take credit.
11:19The only thing that we want to make sure is, number one, you have to be accountable for
11:26your actions.
11:26Both these political parties are in governments in multiple states across the country.
11:31You will have to answer for the state of the government schools in your state.
11:36You will have to answer for the state of your colleges and universities in your state.
11:40You can't run away from this.
11:41You will have to talk about the unemployment rate in your states.
11:45These are concrete statistics.
11:47I don't want to know how many new IITs or IIMs you have built.
11:51I want to know how many of those IITs or IIMs actually rank in world top 100.
11:55I want to know which of those IITs are doing cutting-edge research in AI and city conductors.
12:01We want qualitative answers.
12:03That you can't run away from.
12:04The third thing is, this is a very smart generation.
12:08So you're saying...
12:10If any of these parties are doing it to develop a vote bank, this generation will see through you guys.
12:17So be genuine, be responsive, take feedback, understand what those issues are and actually
12:23try and address those issues and that's when the generation will support you.
12:27Otherwise, theatrics won't work with this generation.
12:31Can I make a small point?
12:34You know, you're using the word theatrics.
12:36You know, because there's a lot about...
12:39There's a lot of chatter at the moment that you've got to get on social media.
12:42Politicians have to get on social media.
12:44I just want to put this in and then get you in, Supriya Srinath.
12:47On Twitter, X, BJP has 23 million followers, Congress 11.5, CJP 0.39.
12:54On Facebook, BJP 18, Congress 12 million.
12:57On Instagram, BJP 9.7 million, Congress 15 million, Kokhrut Janata Party 26 million.
13:03And then you have WhatsApp, 3 million to BJP 1.3 million, Congress 0.55 million CJP.
13:09So, to take off from Ashutosh Ranka said, there seems to be this haste, let's get on to Instagram.
13:15Let's get our reels viral.
13:17Whether it's Rahul Gandhi's reel or Narendra Modi's reel.
13:20Is this about competing over reels or the real issues that Ashutosh spoke about?
13:24Improve the quality of schools.
13:26Improve the quality of teaching in college and universities.
13:29Isn't that what the real battle should be about?
13:31Who has a model?
13:32Do you have a model for the youth of this country when Rahul Gandhi talks of Chhatro Ki Goonj?
13:37Which he's pointing to the problems, but does he have an alternative model for the youth of the country?
13:46No, I'm sorry to say, as a leader of the opposition, he has every business to point out the problems.
13:51He has every business to hold the government of the day accountable and put them in the dock.
13:56And talk about the number of paper leaks.
13:57Talk about the number of unemployment opportunities that haven't been created.
14:01Talk about the jobs that lie vacant.
14:03Talk about an education system that has completely collapsed.
14:05Talk about an education system that's only being filled with the RSS stooges.
14:10And he has every business to talk about that because that is as relevant.
14:13But I just think I want to make a few points before I go on.
14:16But he should also provide solutions.
14:17You know, the BJP has really come a full circle.
14:19Let me please.
14:20I will provide solutions.
14:22Give me a minute.
14:23Please give me a minute.
14:24Be patient with me.
14:25It's very interesting to now see Narendra Modi tell his MPs and tell his party men, get active on social
14:31media.
14:31Get active on Instagram.
14:32You know why?
14:33Because the BJP cannot push through his agenda on Instagram.
14:36Whether it is us or whether it's anybody else who's talking about the youth, we are calling the shots.
14:41Because our engagement on Instagram, forget about the number of followers, we are of course much higher followers than Mr.
14:46Modi and his party.
14:47But our engagement on social media is five times that of the BJP.
14:51Because we are speaking on issues that matter unlike the BJP that is still preaching and believes a front camera
14:58can solve the problems of the youth.
14:59But I have two instances to point out here because some very ugly things were said.
15:03You want to talk about people's age.
15:05At 75, the BJP was putting people in the Mark Darashak mandal.
15:09Why did Mr. Modi not make way for younger generation?
15:12Why did he not go?
15:13You said your president is elected.
15:15Who elected this president?
15:17Because his name was suddenly announced.
15:18Like you think of the chief minister, as if you didn't leave the president with the president, then what happened
15:23to them?
15:24Our president is democratically elected by 10,000 people who are elected members of the AICC.
15:30I also want to make a very small point on the recent reshuffle that happened within the BJP.
15:36Who all were shifted out?
15:37There were two big changes.
15:39Their social media head was shunted out and the head of their Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha was shunted out.
15:46What does that tell you?
15:47Their social media messaging and narrative is clearly not landing.
15:50And their youth head was being able to make no difference whatsoever.
15:54But it brings me to the big agenda that any of us should be asking.
15:59The home minister wants to talk about everything under the sun.
16:02The home minister has to answer one question in yes or no.
16:06There were students protesting.
16:08They are not anti-nationals.
16:09They were asking for their rights, irrespective of the political ideology or their affiliations.
16:14Who fired pellet guns at them?
16:17Did you order the pellet guns or did you not?
16:19If you did not order, you are incompetent.
16:22If you did, this is what you are doing to the youth of this country.
16:24You have one question to answer.
16:27They are making all these people.
16:30And the truth is that they don't ask any questions.
16:33They believe they can get away with murder.
16:36They believe they are standing with the youth.
16:38A girl was...
16:39I mean, if you saw where the policeman was putting the bait in,
16:42it would put any of us to shame.
16:44A girl landed on a ventilator.
16:46There were pellets fired.
16:47A boy lost his eye.
16:49And a girl lost her ear.
16:50They are telling us that nothing really happened.
16:52They are standing for the youth of this country.
16:54Have you seen the social media or otherwise the chatter amongst the youth?
16:57The kind of memes that came out of there against the Prime Minister.
17:01Because the strong man, 56 inch, that charade has gone.
17:04The youth has pulled it apart.
17:06And the youth is holding you accountable.
17:08Rajdeep.
17:10And Rajdeep, because you mentioned twice...
17:13Okay, I've heard you.
17:13Rajdeep, because you mentioned it twice over the Chhatro Ki Goonj.
17:17That is a...
17:20Let me finish my point and then you can come in.
17:23Complete.
17:24Quickly complete.
17:26Rahul Gandhi's Chhatro Ki Goonj.
17:27Yeah, yeah.
17:28I'll get you to see that.
17:29Rahul Gandhi's Chhatro Ki Goonj, whether it was Kota or whether it was...
17:33Whether it was Kota or whether it was Dehradun or whether it was Prayag Raj or for that matter Pune.
17:37The BJP governments in all these states have made a huge hue and cry.
17:42They have created every obstacle possible.
17:44This, despite the fact that this program is not a Congress program.
17:48This program gives the young, gives the students an opportunity to voice their concerns from a large platform.
17:54And all of you are forced to relate.
17:56And even then the BJP has a problem.
17:58So, yes, we will find the solution.
18:00We have the solutions.
18:01We will put the solutions.
18:02Madam, I've heard you now.
18:03They are in government.
18:04Hold them accountable.
18:06I'm waiting to see the solutions.
18:08You've identified.
18:09Okay.
18:10You're in government.
18:11Therefore, Siddharth Yadav, you seem to be in a more difficult position.
18:15Supriyar Srinath, Congress points out the problems, whether it's paper leaks, whether it's the condition of schools, colleges.
18:20The question is, you are in government.
18:22You are accountable.
18:23Is accountability to be met by what the Congress is claiming theatrics?
18:29You mentioned Pariksha Pe Charcha.
18:31The Prime Minister talking to young students about how to appear for exams.
18:35Is that really going to be what the youth want?
18:37Or do the youth want actually something more meaningful, which is accountability?
18:42The debate seems to be moving away from, you know, who has more followers on Insta, who has more followers
18:49on Twitter, to something more serious, which is accountability.
18:52If my school infrastructure is crumbling, if papers are leaking,
18:56If I don't have quality jobs available to me, should that be the debate?
19:02Let my, let, yes, I'll respond to that, Rajdeep.
19:07And before I just come to that, since the Congress spokesperson has mentioned the election of the national president,
19:12we must not forget what Malik Arjunji had said after his election, that I am elected, but the high command
19:17is someone else.
19:18And I bow down to the high command because they have elected me.
19:21So, a party who comes from a high command culture like that should not teach anybody about internal democracy and
19:27how presidents are elected.
19:28But having said that, you know, she made a statement that the youth president of the BJP was shunted out.
19:33I don't remember a youth president of the BJP who worked for more than six years in the history of
19:37BJP.
19:38Current president also had worked for six years and there was the change that was due to happen.
19:42I think, you know, when you make such statements, it's the same feeling of when you celebrate like this after
19:48having 99 seats.
19:49This is the same feeling like that.
19:51You don't need to do it.
19:52But, you know, she's the social media in charge of the Congress party.
19:55And she said, she made a statement that we have way more followers.
19:58No, no, no, no, no, no, Subriya, he did not interfere with you.
20:02Madam, he did not interfere with you.
20:03Let him complete.
20:04Ma'am, I did not utter a word when you were speaking.
20:06Yeah, go ahead. Siddharth, focus.
20:07I did not utter a word.
20:08I'm the anchor, focus.
20:08Yeah, answer my question.
20:10Answer my question.
20:12I'm responding. Yes.
20:14So, she made a statement.
20:17I need to set the record straight, Rajdi, because your show is a very widely viewed show.
20:21And she made a statement that, you know, we have way more followers than Narendra Modi or BJP.
20:25Narendra Modi on Instagram has 102 million followers, the first world leader in history to cross 100 million.
20:32How many does Congress and Rahul Gandhi have? 12.7 million.
20:34On X, he has 106 million, the first serving world leader to cross 100 million.
20:38No, no, but is that the issue?
20:40Congress and Rahul Gandhi can have?
20:41Siddharth, why is that the issue?
20:43Siddharth, why is the issue about how many followers?
20:46No, no, Siddharth, why?
20:47That's my question to you.
20:48Rajdeep, I know.
20:51Yes.
20:52Rajdeep, it's not.
20:53And let me, just allow me to complete.
20:55I know it's not.
20:56I'm setting the record straight because no false statements can run on national television just like that.
21:02You can't come here and say something for building a narrative and then go away and then say, no, we
21:07have more youth attached with us.
21:08The CSDS survey shows every age group in the last elections had 7 percentage points more voting for the BJP
21:14than for the Congress.
21:15But leave that apart.
21:16I want to come to accountability and when I come down to accountability, I ask you one question.
21:21You said that we are in power and that's why we have to be unaccountable.
21:25But what about Jharkhand?
21:26Students in Jharkhand are not students.
21:28Students in Karnataka are not students.
21:30Students in Punjab are not students.
21:32Students in Himachal are not students.
21:34Who is in power there?
21:35It's the Congress Party.
21:37When Congress Party is in power, no accountability has to be questioned.
21:41Nobody, not even CJP, nobody will come up because there are very different standards there.
21:45She said, you know, when we did a Goonj Karikram in Kota, Pune, Dharadun, I was going to, I was
21:50waiting to hear Rachi, Bangalore, Shimla.
21:54I could not hear those.
21:56Why is that?
21:57Because accountability for students is not the real issue for Congress Party.
22:02Rajdeep, you take it or you leave it.
22:04It's the Bharatiya Janta Party which is working to structurally improve how the youth of this country have to function,
22:11have to live, has to take his education and how he has to get employment.
22:15How? Give me one example.
22:16When we say that we have two less than 3,000 start-ups.
22:17No, no, no, Mr. Yadav.
22:19Mr. Yadav, give me one example.
22:21No, no, Mr. Yadav.
22:22Mr. Yadav, one minute.
22:24Mr. Yadav.
22:24No, no, Supriya, she did it.
22:26One minute.
22:26Mr. Yadav, give me one example that you have improved structurally in the last 12 years.
22:31Structurally.
22:31I'll give you two.
22:32Give me two examples.
22:33Yes.
22:34I'll give you two, Rajdeep.
22:36Rajdeep, I'll give you two and not one.
22:38I'll give you two.
22:39I'll just speak about the start-ups.
22:42350 start-ups in this country in 2014.
22:452,40,000 start-ups.
22:47In last one year, the data that I have is 23.3 lakh direct jobs in this start-up ecosystem
22:54that we have built.
22:55In this start-up ecosystem, had we heard of terms like AI, investments, venture capitalists, seed funding, angel investors before
23:042014?
23:05Please remember that.
23:06Please remember those times.
23:08Please remember a time when it was so difficult to do business in this country.
23:11When the youth of this country had no aspirations.
23:14Sir, I...
23:14When the youth of this country coming from tier two, tier three cities could not even think that I can
23:18build something.
23:19Sir.
23:20I had four unicorns, Rajdeep.
23:21And today, 110, all these unicorns which have come up, have come up from tier two, tier three cities.
23:27Okay.
23:27These are young children.
23:28I've heard you.
23:29Genese, millennials, who work very hard to set up their businesses.
23:33This is one.
23:34You're...
23:35Okay.
23:35Should I come to the second point?
23:37I've heard you, Siddharth.
23:38I've heard you, Siddharth.
23:40Very quickly, 30 seconds.
23:42Give me a second example.
23:44Structural change.
23:44I'll rest my place if you don't allow me time.
23:45Yes.
23:46Okay.
23:46Okay.
23:47I'll give you a second example.
23:49On education, Rajdeep, in this country, the kind of...
23:52You know, I feel very sad when Ashutosh would sit here and say that we don't want more IITs.
23:58That's what he said.
23:59We don't want more aims.
24:01In 65 years, the number of aims that you build in this country are doubled in 10 years.
24:07And then we have a young person who's, I think, the same age as me, would come and say, I
24:11don't want more aims.
24:12And he comes out of a protest from NEIT.
24:1550,000 seats in NEIT raised to 1,40,000.
24:191,40,000.
24:20More opportunities.
24:22We are having double the doctors in this country.
24:24For PG NEIT seats, there were 32,000.
24:27Increased to 78,000.
24:29You...
24:30I have limited...
24:31114% increase.
24:32Siddharth, I gave you extra time.
24:34I've heard you.
24:35I've heard you.
24:36Siddharth.
24:38I've heard you now.
24:39Now you can rest your case.
24:40Ashutosh Ranka.
24:41You see, it is now coming...
24:43It is coming down to half...
24:45Half...
24:45Glass half full or glass half empty.
24:48You see, the glass here, the Kaukrut Janata Party seems to suggest that structural issues are...
24:53Have not been addressed.
24:55You've got the BJP throwing numbers on startups and on unicorns and suggesting, look at that, India.
25:01And therefore, it's glass half full versus glass half empty.
25:07Rajdeep, couple of things.
25:08Number one, I think Siddharth clearly decided to misquote me.
25:13I was talking about the quality of IITs, not just the numbers that should be looked at.
25:19Siddharth should tell us what are the placement statistics across these IITs.
25:22And I know the numbers because I've been an IITian myself.
25:25I know the placement situation in IITs across the country right now and especially in the new ones.
25:30Siddharth should tell us what is the status of infrastructure in these IITs and new aims that have been announced.
25:36Siddharth should tell us what is the status of research in these institutes.
25:39What is our world QS ranking of the topmost institute?
25:43What was that number like 10 years ago?
25:45Number one.
25:46Number two, I think this has been a perennial problem with BJP.
25:51Siddharth said that before 2014, we didn't listen to AI.
25:54That's like Congress saying that before 2005, we didn't listen to social media.
25:58You didn't do anything to bring AI in this country.
26:01AI was a global phenomenon.
26:03And it's the youth of this country that was smart enough, brilliant enough to adopt AI and make sure that
26:09some of these biggest startups, being the servants of the world, are actually in India.
26:15So, please stop with this whataboutery.
26:18The question that you should rather answer is what unique did India do in the last 10, 12 years to
26:23set us apart for next 15, 20, 30 years?
26:26What is our AI policy?
26:28What is our hydrogen policy?
26:30What is our quantum mechanics policy?
26:31How will that distinguish us from the rest of the world?
26:34How are we going to compete with the US and the China and the Koreas of the world?
26:39Don't do this whataboutery.
26:41That we have to bring this up to all the startups.
26:44It's a good thing.
26:45Startups are doing what are you supporting?
26:47How many startups are made in the world's actual products?
26:50How many startups are made in the world's supply chain?
26:53How many startups are supported by the government?
26:55Talk about all these things.
26:57The global trends are going to adopt our country.
27:00Our country is very smart.
27:02Number three, again, what I am trying to say is, address those fundamental issues.
27:10Answer, answer, how will we respond to this burdening population?
27:16Answer, how are we going to provide jobs?
27:18You are talking about 23 lakh jobs that the startups have provided.
27:21But don't forget that you promised 2 crore jobs a year.
27:24Where are those jobs?
27:25What plan are you going to do?
27:272 crore jobs, where are you going to come from?
27:29Tell the country.
27:30You are talking about 2 crore jobs.
27:32And you talk about accountability, why are we not going here, why are we not going there?
27:36But government, government, government says, who is talking you to go and do that?
27:41No, no, Ashutosh, Ashutosh, just a minute, Siddharth.
27:43You are the one in the opposition.
27:46You know, Ashutosh, just to correct you, government says that the prime minister never committed to 2 crore jobs.
27:54He never, no, no, one minute.
27:55Ashutosh, government says they never committed to 2 crore jobs a year.
27:58This is a misconstruing of statements that were made.
28:02But I take your larger point that jobs are a critical issue.
28:06And that's where I want to bring my other two guests at the moment.
28:09You see, Supriya Srinath, I will come back to you on this.
28:12You are saying Rahul Gandhi is identifying the problems that Gen Z have.
28:16The crucial issue is provide me a model.
28:18You are in power in Karnataka, you are in power in Himachal, you are in power in Telangana, you are
28:22in power in Kerala.
28:24Provide me a model that Gen Z will say, wow.
28:26Where is that wow model that will give Gen Z a sense that yes, the Congress has a model for
28:33us for the future?
28:38Oh, we have a model in Karnataka and we have a model in Telangana and of course Kerala, we have
28:43just found a government and we have a model there too.
28:45But before I go to these models, Rajdeep, I want to bring this debate back to where we started.
28:50We are talking about Gen Z, let's talk about Gen Alpha.
28:53Let me please finish, let me finish.
28:55Have patience, just like you have patience with everybody else.
28:57In the syllabus, Gen Z came out, Gen Alpha came out, the girls or the people who cannot even see
29:05or there are children who cannot hear or speak.
29:08They are talking about such dilapidated infrastructure as far as the education institutions are concerned.
29:14I mean, I will just throw some statistics at you which will tell you what has happened under the Modi
29:18government.
29:18This is a data of the last 12 years, 96,000 government schools have shut down.
29:23There are 1.19 lakh schools that lack electricity.
29:27There are almost 99,000 schools that don't have a girl's toilet.
29:30So you can imagine why the girls are dropping out of schools.
29:33There are schools and a large number of them, almost 61,000 crores that have no toilet at all.
29:38The reality is that you can keep throwing data here.
29:41We can keep talking about the AI and what we are doing with the AI, the world saw.
29:44There was an AI summit that happened.
29:46I think as far as the entrepreneurs are concerned, huge respect for them and what they are doing.
29:51But as far as the government is concerned, some of the most favorite poster boys have said that we've missed
29:55the bus on AI.
29:56But I do want to say, because this point was raised again and again by the BJP, Rahul Gandhi had
30:02the moral integrity to stand there.
30:04He supported the students here in Delhi.
30:06He also spoke for the students in Jharkhand.
30:09Despite being a coalition partner, he consistently raised their voice.
30:13He wrote to the chief minister.
30:14And eventually the chief minister and the students could get together, come on a solution.
30:19And that protest ended and it ended peacefully, it ended amicably with students sloganeering Rahul Gandhi's Zindabad by the very
30:27end.
30:27But the reality is nobody called them bhediyas, nobody called them generation gutter, no pellets were fired at them, nobody
30:34lost their eye or their ear.
30:36The reality is that you have to appreciate the one big fact with the BJP, doesn't want to.
30:42That the youth cannot be engaged with the way you want them to.
30:45The youth doesn't like you speaking from a high pulpit mitro.
30:49The youth is not going to be enamored because you're making a front camera video.
30:52The youth wants respect.
30:53They want their issues to be listened to.
30:55They want a leader who's empathetic.
30:57And as far as the model is concerned, Rajdeep, as far as our guarantees in Karnataka and Telangana are concerned,
31:06almost all of them have been full.
31:08The reality is we had a CWC yesterday and one of the big core issues of the CWC was the
31:14student protest, the clamor coming from the youth.
31:17And what we need to do, and this is widely being discussed, that we need to set examples, which we
31:23already are.
31:24So I'm sorry, the BJP cannot walk away from the fact by quoting statistics.
31:28None of this is your doing.
31:30You are insulting, you are demonizing the youth of this country.
31:34The time is up.
31:34Siddharth, Siddharth, Siddharth, Siddharth, Madam, Madam, I've heard you.
31:39I've heard you very loudly and clearly.
31:41I want to give Siddharth equal time.
31:44No, no.
31:45Okay, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
31:46Come on.
31:47Now, Siddharth, Yadav, therefore, let me give you a final word.
31:50Do you believe that this has been a wake-up call? Is there a wake-up call? Have you all
31:55received a wake-up call? 12 years into power, you all have suddenly realized we have missed out on the
32:00Gen Z bus. A quick answer, please. For all the talk of startups and unicorns.
32:05Rajdeep, first of all, I appreciate that Ashutosh Ranka and the CJP has all expectations from the BJP. We will
32:15live up to all expectations. I hear the optimism in his voice. He knows it's only the BJP who can
32:21solve it.
32:21But I had asked him specific questions. There are students in Jharkand, not students. In Karnataka, are they not students?
32:27In Punjab, are they not students? Why would you have double standards?
32:31If you claim yourself, you claim yourself to be, you know, their voices, then you should have double standards. But
32:36okay, I don't expect much from them. If they expect from us, we'll solve it.
32:39But my learned friend from the Congress party was saying about schools, false narrative, Rajdeep, false narrative. The central government
32:47runs Kindre Vidyales, Navode Vidyales, PM Shri schools.
32:51I'm quoting the government figure. I'm quoting the government figure. I'm quoting government figure.
32:54I'm quoting the government figure. I'm quoting the government figure. I'm quoting the government figure.
32:55No, please, please. Supriya, no, please put her voice down. Don't quote anything. Ma'am, ma'am, don't get ratted.
33:02Ma'am, don't start jumping one. I do not see a word.
33:04Please go ahead. But after the debate also, I challenged her, put 15 names of each of these three schools.
33:11Put it on total. Right. And Rajdeep, you know, when you ask me that it's a wake-up call for
33:18us, I don't think so.
33:19We have woken up from 2014. We have woken up to build this economy for our young people. We have
33:25woken up.
33:26You know, it's not India following the global trends that Ashutosh said. We built UPI. We gave UPI to the
33:32world.
33:32We built a digital economy set up. We built an internet economy in this country. And it's Indian young people
33:39who have done it.
33:40If Skyroot is doing something, there's an ecosystem which is supporting that. It's not the world who's coming out and
33:45seeing us.
33:46If we are coming and landing our, you know, a satellite on the dark side of the moon, which the
33:51world is not able to do it, it's India doing it, Rajdeep.
33:53Not a wake-up call for us in 2026. We have woken up from 2014 and will continue to work
33:59until 2047.
34:00Okay, I've heard you. I want to give...
34:02Sitting here.
34:04Okay, I want to give Ashutosh the final word because in many ways I maintain that it was the Kaukrut
34:09Janta Party's movement that in a way has put Gen Z center stage, whichever way you look at it or
34:13not.
34:14But Ashutosh, is there something that...
34:16You are unfair to give everybody a final word other than me.
34:18Do you really believe that this gener...
34:21No, no, no, madam. I've given you equal time. I've given you more time than the others also.
34:26But Ashutosh, your final word. Sum it up for us as you see it. Sum it up. Let's get a
34:32quick sum up from you. 30 seconds.
34:35The only thing I can say is we have a huge task at our hand. This is a ticking time
34:43period. This is a critical time in the history of this country. It's a critical moment.
34:49From here we can fight, water voluntary, and then we can address the issues.
34:56What we are talking about demographic dividend, it will become a demographic disaster very soon if those critical issues are
35:02not addressed.
35:03So all of us need to stop doing water voluntary, address these genuine issues.
35:0780 years of independence, we are still talking about fixing the primary education. We are still talking about government schools.
35:13So it should be a moment of shame for all of us. It should be a moment of wake up
35:17for all of us.
35:18And we really need to come together as a country and solve some of these structural issues.
35:27I'm going to leave it there. I've heard three fine voices today. It's been one of the better debates I've
35:32had.
35:33Madam, if I allow you 10, then the other side will. But, you know, I will give you 10 and
35:38no more.
35:39And no point to be repeated. 10 seconds and no more. Your time starts now.
35:47I will only say that all of us need to use any platform available to amplify the concerns of the
35:53youth and find solutions.
35:54You know, let's not weaponize social media against the youth and let us not demonize the youth.
36:00Something that my opponents in the BJP have done.
36:02I really believe you need to take strong action against all your MPs who are calling our most promising generation,
36:08generation gutter.
36:09That is not on. And I would rise above politics and say that.
36:12OK. OK. OK. I've heard you. Your 10 seconds is up.
36:18Siddharth Yadav, Ashutosh Ranka and Supriya Srinath for joining me on what has, as I said, been an energetic debate.
36:26I appreciate you all sparing the time on the show tonight.
36:31Thank you very much.