The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set out to regain control of the political narrative after the Union government was pushed on the back foot over student protests that forced the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister, said people aware of the details.HT ImageThe party’s attempts to quell anger among the younger demographic was precipitated by widespread protests that had erupted on the streets, the Opposition coalescing against the government in Parliament, and a few discordant notes within the party itself.A senior party leader said the government has already announced a slew of measures to tackle irregularities in the conduct of examinations, such as setting up a high powered committee under Nandan Nilekani to suggest long-term reforms, fast-track courts for speedy justice, and amendments to give more teeth to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Law.“The opposition is trying to pit the BJP against the youth, whereas the steps that have been taken show that the government is sensitised about their concerns and took immediate steps to address those…the PM (Narendra Modi) himself communicated the measures being taken to ensure that students do not suffer,” said a senior lawmaker.The person said, unlike the government that remains responsive, the Opposition was yet to “admit or make amends” for paper leaks that happened on their watch.“What has the AAP government done in Punjab, or the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, where there were irregularities in the HP School examination board? In Jharkhand, papers of the JAC examination were leaked, while as in Telangana, the Intermediate language examination paper was leaked…the list is long,” the lawmaker said.Party leaders -- who have borne the brunt of public anger, on the streets and on social media-- are making efforts to woo the young. The party internally admits to course corrections, but is publicly blaming the “Opposition and vested interest” for stoking unrest among the youth.On Monday, while campaigning for a bypoll in Bihar, party chief Nitin Nabin said the presence of “large crowds of younger people” at a rally he was addressing was an indication of the “youth being with the BJP.”Several party leaders, who spoke to HT on the condition of anonymity, said experiences from Bangladesh and Nepal, where youth-led movements led to the dislodging of governments, should have prompted the government to have early engagement with the protestors.“There was a need to separate the students from the infiltrators, who misused the platform…this was a sensitive issue and even our own people have voiced concerns,” said a state office bearer of the party.The kin of at least two senior leaders spoke in favour of the protests, and statements of senior party leaders MM Joshi and Murlidhar Rao struck a discordant note. The BJP also took disciplinary action against Manika Raba, a mandal president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Uttarakhand for supporting the protests.Joshi said last week that the use of force to dispel crowds protesting against paper leaks will further alienate large sections of Indian society from the goal of Viksit Bharat. Rao on X said, “Governance may emerge from the mandate of the majority, but it endures only through the consent of the governed. At the heart of good governance lies the trust of the people…”Pran jaye par vachan na jaye”—the ideal exemplified by Shri Ram—reminds every public leader that keeping one’s word is the foundation of public trust.”He later clarified that his statement was in context of underlining how the leadership was “guided not by our adversaries but by Indian ethos.”A third party leader and lawmaker said, “There is a section of party leaders who feel that the protest and the demand for reforms could have been handled differently. But we cannot see this as fissures within the party, it is democratic expression.”On Monday, Pradhan was greeted by his party colleagues with slogans and a shawl, in a show of strength when he reached Parliament. Later, he referred to himself as a “street fighter and not an AC room activist” in a friendly exchange with an Opposition MP.