Youth-Led Protest Movement Challenges Prime Minister Modi

A youth-led protest movement is presenting a distinctive challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has spent years strengthening his authority in the world’s largest democracy. Supporters of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) gathered in New Delhi on Saturday to celebrate the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

For over a decade, Narendra Modi has held a position of significant power in India. His staunch supporters regard him with great reverence, likening his influence to that of a deity. He has consistently suppressed opposition voices throughout his leadership.

However, the self-proclaimed ‘cockroaches’—a moniker embraced by the protest movement—are proving difficult to quash. This group of young activists is breaking the mold, presenting a new kind of opposition that Modi has not faced before.