India's democracy is facing its biggest test in a half-decade, with a defiant generation of young Indians pouring into the streets over education and voting rights. They confronted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's near-total hold on power, appealing to India's democratic traditions while waving national flags as police hauled them away.
The protests, largely nonviolent, mirror grievances across Europe: poor schools, lack of jobs, and loss of faith in institutions. The Cockroach Janta Party, a Gen Z movement, catalyzed the rebellion with viral symbols of dissent. "The fear needs to go," said 26-year-old Gul Kumaria at a recent rally.
Politicians clashed over democracy's meaning. Mr. Modi called India "the mother of democracy," while opposition leaders accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of undermining it. The Cockroach Janta Party's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, retorted that protesting injustice is "the most fundamental expressions of democracy."
After more than a decade of democratic backsliding, these youth-led protests have broken the dam, unleashing hopes and fury in the world's largest democracy.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing