Credit to Gen Z for making the Centre bow down: Telangana CM

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy credited the Central Government conceding to the demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to the sustained struggle of Gen Z students, and asserted that neither the Congress nor any political party would claim ownership of the victory.

“The smiles on the faces of Gen Z youth reflect victory. But this is not enough. The movement should now ensure that young people enter Parliament and the legislatures,” the Chief Minister said at a rally in Hyderabad, after Mr. Pradhan resigned as the Education Minister, on Saturday.

The Chief Minister questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not met the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the examination controversy. Alleging that the Centre had failed in conducting examinations fairly, Mr. Reddy said thousands of young people had gathered to defend democracy and maintained that democratic forces across the country had united in support of the students’ movement.

Calling upon the youth to sustain the momentum, Mr. Reddy said the ‘tsunami’ of the Gen Z movement should not stop with one minister’s resignation but continue until young people secure greater participation in the country’s democratic institutions. He asserted that while Gen Z constitutes nearly 30% of India’s population, its representation in Parliament remains below one per cent, making electoral reforms both necessary and timely.

He assured that the Assembly in August this year would pass a resolution in reducing the contesting age to 21 years and send the same to Mr. Modi. He also said he would raise the issue with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge and seek the INDIA Bloc’s support for introducing and passing the necessary legislation in Parliament. TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud proposed it in his speech.

Arguing that the youth should move beyond street protests, Mr. Reddy said their representatives must now enter Parliament and legislative bodies to shape national policies. He suggested that Gen Z should also be entrusted with key portfolios such as Education and Information Technology, saying younger leadership would better understand the aspirations of the new generation.

Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Sridhar Babu, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Mohd Azharuddin, Seethakka, Ponnam Prabhakar, Adluri Lakshman, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, and party MPs, MLAs and MLCs, were among present.