The Cockroach Janta party (CJP) protest, which mobilised millions of young Indians over a leaked exam paper, achieved its core demand on Saturday as Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. The resignation came after a week of unprecedented demonstrations that saw protesters gathering at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar and spreading to other cities, including states governed by Modi's Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).
Protest origins and demands
The movement began after the leaking of a crucial exam paper forced 2 million students to resit the test and was blamed for more than a dozen suicides. The CJP, a gen Z-led group, organised widespread protests, with Pradhan's resignation as their primary demand. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late-night Instagram address thanking protesters for their 'thoughtful suggestions', he did not mention Pradhan. Within 24 hours, Modi accepted the resignation.
Analysts described the move as a remarkable humbling of a government that had ruled with impunity since 2014. The protests also saw the online space conquered by gen Z memes and reels that ridiculed Modi and the government, bypassing the BJP's typically dominant IT cell. Mainstream TV news channels, widely seen as co-opted by the government, initially ignored or dismissed the protests, but were later delegitimised by social media backlash.
Impact on political narrative and cabinet
Brown University professor Ashutosh Varshney said: 'The online space was totally conquered by the protesters and regime-loving media was seriously delegitimised. The anger was so comprehensive there was no option left but for Pradhan to go.' He added that this was the first time in 12 years the Modi government had lost control of the political narrative, noting that 'the climate of fear has collapsed.'
Political columnist Pratap Bhanu Mehta warned of implications for Modi's cabinet: 'Modi knows once you start firing your most loyal ministers, it sets up the incentives for defections in other ministers as well. If your own cabinet starts to hedge for a future where they may not be backed by your own government, that's when you are in trouble.' Pradhan was one of Modi's most loyal ministers and had helped the BJP win Odisha state for the first time.
Reinvigoration of opposition and future tests
The protests have also revived opposition parties, with the Congress party having its best week in years, shutting down parliament and seeing leader Rahul Gandhi dragged away by police outside Modi's house. The next major test will be early next year in Uttar Pradesh state elections, where the BJP seeks to retain its heartland.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has not declared his own political ambitions, but spokesperson Saurav Das said: 'This is one of our goals. We need to increase youth participation in politics, because right now it's controlled by uncles and aunties who are only interested in looking after their own lifestyles and don't understand the needs of our generation. The answer also has to be political.' Analysts note that the CJP has reopened a democratic space, making it possible for a new kind of political opposition to emerge.
