Army of young turning from dividend to drag for India’s ruling party
Large-scale protests by disillusioned youth could signal the start of difficult days for Modi’s team.
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Cockroach Janta Party supporters celebrating in Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Over the past three years, as popular, youth-led movements rattled or toppled governments in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Indonesia, a popular theme for commentators was to examine the question: How is it that India’s young seem so quiescent?
An analysis in October 2025 by a prominent global news company attributed it to “fear of being branded ‘anti-national’, regional and caste divides, economic pressures, and a sense that their actions may have little impact”.
