What does the success of the student/Cockroach Janta Party agitation tell us about the state of today’s India? It may be a while before we can come to any significant conclusions. But here are some preliminary thoughts.
Without wishing to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity in the country (polls keep demonstrating that he is India’s most popular leader), it’s time to admit that his power stems from two different sources.Yes, many people love him. But those who don’t are scared of him. Rightly or wrongly, there is a perception that any person or group that opposes the government will pay a terrible price: arrests, raids, jail without bail, censure from employers, police brutality, etc.
It’s too soon to say that this perception has gone. But what is clear is that, sooner or later, every Goliath will meet his David. The success of these protests, during which every single day the demonstrators would chant insults directed at the PM, shows that things are changing. Even the newspapers, which are generally tame and careful, decided to accord massive coverage to the protests and to criticise the government editorially.A decade and a half ago, this would not have been significant: the Delhi protests and the Anna movement were huge media stories. But in this day and age, such open shows of dissent are relatively unusual. It’s not that media proprietors have stopped being frightened of the government or no longer seek favours. It is just that sometimes a movement captures the public imagination so completely that no proprietor can get away with blacking it out.The issues
