“The entire Gen Z is not disruptive…nor can their concerns be compared to what happened in Bangladesh or Nepal. The youth in India is responsible and aware; and we need to use their energy constructively,” said the senior party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The comments come against the backdrop of resentment over the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test this year, and irregularities in the evaluation of the Central Board of Secondary Examination Class 12 papers. A controversial comment by the Chief Justice of India also triggered an Instagram trend that was followed by millions but an outfit that grew out of it drew only a lukewarm response at a protest in Delhi last week.

The BJP, which completed 12 years in power at the Centre with its allies and has considerably expanded its footprint across the country, wants to change the perception that the ruling dispensation has not addressed the concerns of young people, resulting in the recent protests, said the leader cited above. The party will also sharpen its outreach to the youth, who have been identified as one of the four “key castes” along with women, farmers and the poor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Gen Z does not mean only those who protest against the government, they are also the ones who are diligently involved in nation building and development. The youth capable of building Start Ups and using AI for development can also lead protests to reverse errors. In Jammu and Kashmir, there were youngsters pelting stones and today they are winning the Ranji Trophy… So, it would be unfair to club them together and see Gen Z as protestors and anti-establishment,” added the senior party leader cited above.

The leader said the concerns of the youth “require attention” and the government was making amends.

The functionary said steps are being taking to blunt the anger against the government and to prevent it from spilling across campuses as it had in 2016, when the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad stoked unrest.

The BJP leader said the youth built the momentum for actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which ousted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from power in the recent Tamil Nadu assembly polls. Given the implications of anger among the youth on its electoral fortunes, the BJP does not want to alienate young people ahead of state polls next year.

Citing the example of Nepal, where the Gen Z is credited with ushering in a political upheaval that led to the change of government, the functionary quoted above said the leader of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rabi Lamichhane, who was in the Capital recently, also underlined the need to “utilise the energy of the youth in a constructive way.”

“He said Gen Z was our biggest strength and can be our biggest weakness..therefore, we must learn to use their energy constructively, just as in physics, where force and velocity result in power,” the leader said.