As talks about youth-led political movements gain momentum across the country, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan shared his thoughts on the emergence of the KJP and what it could mean for India’s younger generation.
Pawan Kalyan said the movement should not be seen as a completely new phenomenon, according to news agency ANI. Instead, he described it as part of a recurring cycle in which each generation seeks to redefine politics and society in its own way.
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Every generation wants to take thought forward
During the interaction, the anchor referred to the rise of the Sarsour Janta Party and asked whether the growing youth participation reflects dissatisfaction with traditional political structures.
Pawan Kalyan replied that generational shifts in political thinking have always been there.
He was quoted as saying: “I don’t know, I feel one thing, you know, is that the concept of Generation Z is more than just a people, everyone is building as if this argument suddenly came up, no, it did. I feel like in every era, if you look at the 1920s or 1940s, in every era, every 25 or 30 years, some younger generation will come along, and take the thought forward.”
“In the 1980s, it was there. In 2000, there was a generation. In 2020, there will be some younger generations. They have their own aspirations,” Kalyan added.
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“Why are they angry?”
Instead of rejecting the movement, the Jana Sena chief said it was important to understand the reasons behind the frustration expressed by younger citizens.
“In a way, you have to look at why they’re angry,” he said.
Referring to the “Cockroach Janta Party” by name, he said:
“The cockroach is the one that stays in the gutter…which means I can probably understand the pain.”
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged as a satirical response to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant who used the term cockroach to describe some young people.
Pawan Kalyan also described a personal conversation with his son to understand how young people perceive such movements.
“I was talking to my son this morning, and I was asking the same question. I said, how many of your friends are there? They have a large group of friends, about 20 people, and I asked him how many of them were there. I think three of them signed up for the service,” Kalyan said.
According to him, support may not always turn into clear activity, but it indicates a willingness among some young people to express dissatisfaction.
“They want to change the policy”
When the anchor pointed out that some youth might be reluctant to publicly associate themselves with such platforms, Pawan Kalyan said the issue was not just about activism.
“They want to show their opposition, or maybe they liked certain things, they didn’t like something that happened, or maybe they found a platform to show their opposition,” he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that his conversations with young people over the past few days indicated a common expectation, which is a different approach to politics.
“We have our own ideas, and we don’t necessarily agree…but the only thing is that we want the policy to change.”
Kalyan added: “This kind of vulgar politics must stop. This kind of regional bias, this kind of destructive approach, we need something different. We want people who make sense in what they say.”
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While Pawan Kalyan neither accepted nor rejected the movement, his statements indicated that the emerging youth-led programs are something that should be seen as signals of changing political outlook and not isolated trends.
