Kiren Rijiju and Rahul Gandhi (File photos)
NEW DELHI: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said it doesn’t “befit” the Lok Sabha’s leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi, to speak of Gen Z, saying that it was the young generation which ousted the Congress from power.Also Read – ‘Indira never spoke outside’: Kiren Rijiju slams Rahul Gandhi over Colombia comments; questions Congress’s free speech usageRijiju added that the youth support Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”It doesn’t befit Rahul Gandhi to speak of Gen Z. The young generation has ousted them (Congress) from power. Gen Z means the new mindset of a new generation – it stands with PM Modi. India’s Gen Z is against the control of this country in the hands of one party, one family. It is against corruption… Gen Z’s anger is directed towards those who are not capable but want to run the Government, against the family that has captured the party. Our government is dedicated to people. Gen Z is against the Congress,” the parliamentary affairs minister told ANI.The phrase “Gen Z” entered India’s political lexicon after youth-led protests led to a change of government in neighbouring Nepal. On September 18, just after his second round of presentation on alleged poll fraud, Gandhi had called on India’s Gen Z to “protect the Constitution” and pledged his support to them in stopping “vote chori (vote theft).” Responding to this, Rijiju said, “Now, when they can’t win elections, they abuse the Election Commission, put allegations of ‘vote chori’. Youth are connected with Modi ji, the country stands with Modi ji.”In his first press conference in August, Gandhi had alleged electoral malpractice in the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Bengaluru, in Congress-ruled Karnataka. In the second, he focused on the Aland assembly seat, also in Karnataka. The Election Commission, which Gandhi has accused of indulging in “vote chori” to benefit the ruling BJP, has dismissed his allegations. Meanwhile, Gandhi has been teasing a “hydrogen bomb” after his “atom bomb” claims in the first press conference.
