NEW DELHI (AP) — For weeks, India’s young protesters waved signs mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government and rallied under an unlikely name: the Cockroach Janta Party. They secured a concession few have extracted from Modi during his more than 12 years in power: a cabinet minister’s resignation.Modi has been one of India’s most dominant prime ministers in decades, winning elections while cultivating an image of decisive leadership. His government has rarely been seen to yield to public pressure.The resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month, however, was a notable exception, experts say. Pressured by the “Cockroach” movement, the concession underscored the rising political influence of India’s population under 25, which makes up nearly half the country, and a shift toward digital-first organizing.
“This particular round has ended in a very important defeat for Mr. Modi,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst who wrote a Modi biography.Mukhopadhyay said the minister’s resignation has made people less fearful of protesting against a government that critics have long accused of suppressing dissent.“The threshold of fear has been broken. People are no longer scared to go and step out and protest,” he said.
