Patna: Union minister and LJP(RV) president Chirag Paswan on Sunday indirectly criticised his cabinet colleague Jitan Ram Manjhi, saying that some people, in an attempt to advance their political interests, do not hesitate to portray India’s youth as “weak or misguided”.Speaking to reporters here, Paswan said it was wrong to categorise young people as “agents of disorder” merely because they participate in protests. He emphasised that youth-led movements have repeatedly played a crucial role in changing the course of the country and producing functionaries who have guided India for decades.“Some people, to further their political interests, are trying to portray the youth of India as weak and wrong,” Chirag said, stressing that addressing young protestors in derogatory terms was inappropriate. He maintained that democratic movements often provide opportunities for new leadership to emerge and contribute to the country’s development.However, the Union minister distinguished between peaceful protests and activities aimed at creating disorder. He said while peaceful demonstrations are an integral part of democracy, individuals attempting to exploit such gatherings to create anarchy must be identified and dealt with appropriately. Paswan also supported the steps taken by the Centre to control the situation surrounding the recent protest in Delhi.His remarks came a day after Manjhi made comments about activists of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who were protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and demanding the removal of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.On Saturday, Manjhi referred to the protestors as ‘cockroaches and crickets’ and asserted that govt knew how to deal with them. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were ‘lions’ and the protestors would not be able to stand against them.Without naming Manjhi directly, Paswan expressed disagreement with the language used to describe the protestors and underlined the importance of recognising the contribution of young people to India’s democratic journey.
