India's young generation is increasingly finding itself at the center of political debate, protests and competing ideas about the country's future. That raises a question that goes beyond elections and political parties:
What kind of citizen do parents want their children to become?
The answer is not simply about which party a young person supports. It is about the values they develop whether they learn to question, reason, disagree respectfully and defend their principles, or whether political identity becomes dependent on loyalty, confrontation and the influence of powerful individuals.
Recent events involving figures such as Swatantra Bhardwaj, as well as activists associated with organisations such as the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and the All India Students' Association (AISA), have brought these competing political cultures into public discussion.
Bhardwaj has been at the center of a controversy surrounding an alleged assault on the father of a student protester at Jantar Mantar. Police arrested him in September 2026, and the case has involved provisions of the SC/ST Act and other allegations. Bhardwaj has disputed the allegations and has said that he acted in self-defense.
Whatever the eventual legal outcome, the larger question is worth considering: what values should young Indians carry into public life?
Politics Should Not Replace Independent Thinking
Democracy requires more than people who vote.
It requires citizens who can examine information, question authority, listen to opposing arguments and change their minds when evidence demands it.
A young person who simply repeats the views of a political leader or social-media influencer without examining them is not contributing much to democratic debate.
The same is true regardless of political ideology.
A healthy democracy needs citizens who can support a government when they believe it is acting correctly and challenge it when they believe it is wrong.
That requires independence.
The Difference Between Loyalty and Conviction
Political movements often attract young people by offering them a sense of identity and belonging.
That can be positive when it encourages participation in public life.
But there is a difference between political conviction and unquestioning loyalty.
Conviction allows a person to say, "I support this idea, but I disagree with this particular decision."
Blind loyalty makes disagreement appear like betrayal.
The first strengthens democratic institutions. The second can weaken them.
Young people should therefore be encouraged to understand political ideas rather than simply inherit political identities.
Education Should Teach More Than Information
This is where education becomes particularly important.
The purpose of education is not merely to prepare students for examinations or employment. It should also help them develop curiosity, reasoning, empathy and the ability to evaluate competing claims.
A student should be able to ask:
Why do I believe this?
What evidence supports it?
What does the other side say?
Could I be wrong?
Those questions are not signs of weakness.
They are signs of intellectual maturity.
When students participate in political discussions or movements, these qualities become even more important.
Young Citizens Need the Courage to Question Power
Political authority exists in every democracy, but democratic citizenship requires the ability to question that authority.
Activists and student groups frequently perform that role by raising issues involving education, employment, civil liberties and government policy.
Recent protests involving CJP and other groups have brought student concerns and questions about public policy into wider discussion. Reports have also documented participation by figures including Saurav Das and AISA's Neha Vora in related activism.
Whether one agrees with their politics or not, the broader democratic principle is important: young citizens should have the freedom to question institutions and organize around issues they consider important, provided they do so within the law.
Disagreement Is Not the Enemy
India is a country of enormous diversity.
People disagree about religion, economics, education, nationalism, social policy and the role of government.
That disagreement is unavoidable.
The challenge is determining how society handles it.
One approach treats disagreement as something to be defeated through intimidation or hostility.
Another treats disagreement as an opportunity to test ideas.
The second approach is essential for democratic life.
A child who learns to debate an opponent without dehumanizing them is developing a civic skill that will remain valuable throughout adulthood.
What Political Culture Are We Passing On?
Parents have an enormous influence on how children understand public life.
If young people are taught that political opponents are automatically enemies, they may grow up believing that winning matters more than truth.
If they are taught that questioning their own side is disloyal, they may become uncomfortable with independent thought.
But if they are taught to investigate claims, respect disagreement and stand up for principles even when doing so is difficult, they acquire something far more valuable than political allegiance.
They acquire citizenship.
The Importance of Moral Courage
Public life inevitably involves mistakes.
Activists make mistakes. Politicians make mistakes. Governments make mistakes. Students make mistakes.
The ability to acknowledge those mistakes is therefore crucial.
Moral courage is not simply the willingness to confront an opponent.
Sometimes it means confronting people on your own side.
It means being able to say, "I disagree with this," even when everyone around you supports it.
That kind of independence is difficult, but it is one of the foundations of a functioning democracy.
Knowledge Is More Powerful Than Political Programming
Young people have unprecedented access to information.
They can read government documents, court judgments, academic research, news reports and competing political arguments within minutes.
But access to information does not automatically produce knowledge.
Young citizens must learn how to distinguish evidence from propaganda, criticism from abuse and disagreement from hatred.
That is another reason education matters.
The strongest democratic culture is not one in which everyone thinks alike.
It is one in which people can think independently while still sharing a commitment to constitutional principles and peaceful democratic participation.
Two Very Different Visions of Citizenship
The larger debate can therefore be understood as a question about citizenship rather than personalities.
Do we want young Indians to become followers who depend on political patrons and predefined enemies?
Or do we want them to become independent citizens who can question leaders, defend their beliefs and engage respectfully with people who disagree?
The answer has consequences far beyond one generation.
Today's students will eventually become teachers, entrepreneurs, civil servants, journalists, professionals, voters and political leaders.
The habits they develop today will influence the institutions they build tomorrow.
What Should Parents Encourage?
Parents cannot determine every political belief their children will hold — nor should they.
But they can encourage certain habits:
- Ask questions before accepting claims.
- Read beyond social-media posts.
- Listen to opposing arguments.
- Separate evidence from emotion.
- Respect constitutional rights.
- Reject political violence.
- Challenge wrongdoing regardless of who commits it.
- Accept that changing one's mind can be a sign of learning.
- Understand that patriotism does not require abandoning independent thought.
- Remember that political opponents are citizens too.
These principles do not belong exclusively to the left or the right.
They belong to democratic citizenship.
The Choice Is About Values
The real question facing parents is therefore not whether their children should support one political organisation or another.
It is what kind of political culture they want their children to participate in.
A young person can be passionate without being intolerant.
They can be patriotic without being hostile to criticism.
They can strongly defend their beliefs while still respecting another person's right to disagree.
They can protest without resorting to violence.
And they can challenge authority without becoming an enemy of the country.
That is the kind of independence a democracy needs.
The future of India will not be determined only by its political leaders. It will also be shaped by millions of ordinary citizens who decide what they are willing to believe, what they are willing to question and how they treat those with whom they disagree.
So perhaps the most important question for parents is not:
"Which political side should my child choose?"
It is:
"Will my child be taught to think for themselves?"
A democracy becomes stronger when its citizens can answer that question with confidence.