Lucknow, August 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday urged young people, including members of Gen Z, to raise their voices on issues affecting their education, employment and future rather than becoming instruments of political parties.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Mayawati accused both the ruling establishment and opposition parties of attempting to derive political advantage from ongoing student and youth protests instead of addressing their underlying concerns.
She alleged that the BJP, Congress and their respective allies have repeatedly disrupted parliamentary proceedings over different issues, pushing matters concerning the public to the background. She also claimed that rival political parties could have an “understanding” aimed at diverting public attention from substantive issues.
Mayawati said young people are facing serious challenges, including unemployment, delays in recruitment, paper leaks and uncertainty over their future. Political parties, she maintained, should work towards resolving these concerns instead of using youth-led movements to further their political agendas.
Referring to protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged paper leaks and unemployment, the BSP chief alleged that the Congress and its allies had tried to politically exploit the agitation. She nevertheless emphasised that the grievances raised by students and unemployed youth were genuine and serious.
Mayawati also referred to the ongoing student agitation in Ranchi, alleging that the Congress and its allies were not openly backing the students’ demands, while the BJP and its supporters were supporting the movement. She said political interests appeared to have overshadowed youth concerns in both Delhi and Ranchi.
She urged students to continue pursuing their demands through democratic means but cautioned them against becoming “pawns” of political parties.
The BSP chief also alleged that reservation benefits in government employment were gradually being diluted and that attempts were being made to weaken the reservation system. At the same time, she claimed that the public sector was being weakened while the private sector was receiving greater emphasis, benefiting large corporates at the expense of poor, unemployed and marginalised sections.
Mayawati clarified that the BSP was not against the private sector but favoured extending reservation to private-sector employment along the lines of the government job reservation system.
She also claimed that during her tenure as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, her government treated all sections fairly and gave particular attention to students’ concerns, employment opportunities and livelihood issues for young people.
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