Narendra Modi’s 12-year rule of India has never looked so fragile.
Weeks of protests have engulfed the country following the leak of a medical entrance exam paper, which forced nearly two million students to resit the test. Protestors hailed victory after the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.
On today’s Inside Politics Podcast, host Hugh Linehan asks our contributor in New Delhi, Rahul Bedi, to explain the significance of the movement.
What had fanned the flames, he said, was the description of unemployed young people as “cockroaches” by one senior government minister.
Then, out of the ootheca hatched the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical movement that has channelled the frustrations of millions of young Indians who, in the words of Bedi, believe the country is increasingly dominated by corruption, privilege and vested interests.
They’re not alone.
Farmers have again been protesting at the state of the rural economy. And another campaign has emerged against the government’s ethanol-blended fuel policy, with some motorists arguing that petrol containing 20 per cent ethanol reduces fuel efficiency and may damage engines.
Bedi explains what these large movements mean for the strength and future of the Modi administration.
