The past few months have been eventful for India. From memes on Instagram and
What sparked these protests? A remark made by Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, in which he referred to unemployed youth as “lazy cockroaches and parasites”, and a paper leak affected 2.2 million students and claimed the lives of around 20 others.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began as an online satire group by Boston University graduate Abhijit Debaki, has gone from parodying a political party’s manifesto on its website to mobilizing tens of thousands of India’s youth to demand accountability from the government.
After a month of protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and in various major Indian cities, the CJP withdrew its demonstrations on Saturday after Pradhan announced his decision to step down through “anti-national” criticism at the protest.
And through it all, India’s Generation Z has found themselves at the center of the movement and global headlines.
“A rare defeat for the Modi government”
Across the global media, many covered the RJD’s protest and Pradhan’s exit from the Cabinet as a rare defeat for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. The resignation of the BJP MP also represents the first departure from the Modi government, which has been in power since 2014.
Apart from routine exits and loss of seats in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, previous exits from public pressure date back to 2017 and 2018.
Read also | This is the last time a union minister resigned under the Modi government over the protests
When Pradhan leaves, The Economist He writes about a rare moment in Indian politics and how Generation Z has “humiliated the government”.
“India’s Generation Z may not be getting the education they deserve, but they have taught Mr. Modi a lesson,” the article says.
In another story, the UK-based magazine also pointed out that Generation Z’s knowledge, use of social media platforms and distrust of affiliate media showed the BJP government that even propaganda has its limits.
Similar sentiments are carried in New York Timeswho writes that the protest, as well as the resilience of Generation Z after a day of facing police brutality, lathi accusations and tear gas, “caught Modi by surprise.”
In a Financial Times newsletter, the newspaper noted that, after the crackdown on protesters on July 20, chants were directed towards the prime minister himself, for the first time in a long time.
The government’s attempt at “anti-citizen elements” did not work either, as the majority of the protesters came from the BJP’s voter base. Students and youth have shown up every day to demand accountability for the government that the people voted for.
“As far as I can remember, this is the first time that a large section of Indians have criticized the Prime Minister by name. Many of the student protesters come from the BJP’s core voter base — middle-class Hindu families — some of whom were encouraged by their parents to protest, others who challenge their families to be there,” Veena Venugopal wrote for FT.
“Flip the script”
in The islandIt was noted that the government’s social media tactics also failed, with Generation Z “flipping the script”.
“Generation Z is upending the Hindu majority party’s dominance on social platforms, and using against it the same tools that the BJP has long relied on,” the AJ noted, also citing protesters who declared for the first time that hatred of Modi had “gone cold” after years of criminalizing dissent.
Although these comments went unmentioned, they also reflect the price that opposition activists and student leaders like Omar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have had to pay as they pass their sixth year in prison, with no trial in sight.
In a BBC According to the report, the CJP protest has been labeled as “a movement the government did not see coming.”
Moreover, in the July 20 campaign, Generation Z posted videos and edits and ensured that evidence of the violence reached everyone across the country, despite the internet shutdown across central Delhi.
Through it all, “the protesters have undoubtedly demonstrated a willingness to confront the state,” political scientist Suhas Palshekhar told the BBC.
Surajit Mazumdar, an economist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told BBC Radio that the movement indicates something much bigger than exam paper leaks.
The Economist is also adding a social media aspect to the protest, especially after publishing some videos of the Prime Minister. But Generation Z wasn’t buying any of it and resorted to their usual language — memes, sarcasm and humor.
Read also | “Kuchupuchu, resign kar do”: No lengthy speeches, GenZ redefines the language of protest with memes, sarcasm and fashion
Many placed tic-tac-toes on screenshots of the Prime Minister, while others dropped ideas for better angles and read the text without being detected.
“Generation Z responded with mock online tutorials that instructed the Prime Minister on proper lighting, camera angle, and text. The protests continued to spread to other cities across the country. Within a week, a resignation that had previously seemed impossible suddenly occurred,” the post noted.
What’s next for India?
After Pradhan’s exit, Indian youth celebrated this historic day. Hours later, Pralhad Joshi was appointed as the next education minister.
Joshi, a five-time Member of Parliament and often described as the “blue-eyed boy” of the BJP high command, has been given charge of the Education Ministry, in addition to his existing portfolios as Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy.
Although the protest has ended, India’s youth have noticed and learned that the state can and must be questioned, and now looks to work toward reclaiming the title of “world’s largest democracy.”
