OPINION | From Jharkhand To Punjab: Why Oppn States Should Be Prepared For Prolonged Gen Z Protests

The
Ge
Z
p otest
that
u folded
at
Ja ta
Ma ta
ma ked
a
a e
mome t
whe
you g
I dia s
fo ced
a
sitti g
U io
Educatio
Mi iste
to
step
dow .
Dha me d a
P adha
esig ed
o
July
25,
2026,
afte
weeks
of
sustai ed
agitatio
ove
the
NEET-UG
pape
leak
that
dis upted
the
futu es
of
millio s
of
aspi a ts.
So am
Wa gchuk& squo;s
26-day
fast
a d
the
epo ted
police
actio
du i g
the
July
20
ma ch
o ly
i te sified
the
esolve
of
the
p oteste s
who
o ga ised
u de
the
Cock oach
Ja ta
Pa ty
ba e .
This
was
ot
the
fi st
youth
mobilisatio
I dia
has
see ,
yet
it
stood
apa t
because
the
co e
issue
of
epeated
exami atio
i egula ities
cut
ac oss
egio s
a d
touched
a
e ti e
ge e atio .
The
gove me t
eve tually
accepted
mo al
espo sibility,
a d
the
agitatio
was
called
off,
but
the
deepe
dema d
fo
accou tability
did
ot
va ish
with
the
esig atio .

That
dema d
has
ow
t avelled
to
states
uled
by
pa ties
that
o ce
stood
with
the
Ja ta
Ma ta
p oteste s.
I
Jha kha d
a d
Pu jab,
the
same
la guage
of
fai ess
a d
systemic
failu e
is
bei g
di ected
at
o -BJP
gove me ts.
Eve y
p otest
ca ies
a
political
edge,
yet
the
stude ts
leadi g
these
moveme ts
i sist
thei
a ge
is
aimed
at
the
machi e y
that
epeatedly
bet ays
me it,
ot
at
a y
si gle
pa ty& squo;s
ideology.
Oppositio
leade s
who
visited
the
capital
p otest
site
a d
lau ched
youth-focused
campaig s
have
so
fa
emai ed
sile t
about
applyi g
the
same
sta da ds
i side
thei
ow
admi ist atio s.
The
esult
is
a
atu al
a d
g owi g
estless ess
amo g
you g
citize s
i
oppositio – uled
states
who
see
o
easo
why
accou tability
should
stop
at
the
bo de s
of
BJP-gove ed
te ito ies.& bsp;

ALSO
READ:

OPINION
|
P asha t
Kisho ,
Vijay
A d
Ge
Z:
C acks
I
Old
Political
O de

Jha kha d& squo;s
Stadium
Sti

I
Ra chi,
the
p otest
that
bega
o
July
25
at
Jaipal
Si gh
Mu da
Stadium
has
e te ed
its
thi d
week.
Job
aspi a ts
u de
the
JPSC-JSSC
Refo ms
Ma ch
ba e
accuse
the
Hema t
So e -led
Jha kha d
Mukti
Mo cha-Co g ess
gove me t
of
i egula ities
i
the
14th
Jha kha d
Public
Se vice
Commissio
(JPSC)
p elimi a y
exami atio
a d
multiple
Jha kha d
Staff
Selectio
Commissio
(JSSC)
ec uitme ts.
They
dema d
ca cellatio
of
the
co tested
tests,
a
i depe de t
CBI
p obe
a d
lasti g
efo ms
i
the
ec uitme t
bodies.
Police
used
wate
ca o s,
tea
gas,
a d
bato s
whe
thousa ds
t ied
to
ma ch
towa d
the
Assembly.& bsp;

The
mo soo
sessio
itself
was
adjou ed
si e
die
a
day
ea ly
amid
co ti uous
dis uptio .
Chief
Mi iste
So e
has
offe ed
to
ca cel
the
14th
JPSC
a d
backlog
pape s
of
2023
a d
2025,
o de ed
a
CID
i vestigatio
that
has
al eady
led
to
ea ly
twe ty
a ests,
a d
i vited
talks.
The
stude ts,
howeve ,
efuse
to
dispe se
u til
a
ce t al
age cy
i qui y
is
g a ted.
& bsp;

Majo
oppositio
pa ties
that
ea lie
exte ded
suppo t
at
Ja ta
Ma ta
have
bee
quick
to
back
the
Ra chi
agitatio .
Yet
o e
of
them
has
publicly
committed
to
ide tical
sta da ds
of
t a spa e cy
a d
i depe de t
sc uti y
i
the
states
they
gove .
The
sile ce
eveals
a
selective
u de sta di g
of
accou tability.
You g
people
who
watched
the
ce t al
gove me t
yield
u de
p essu e
ow
see
the
same
patte
of
de ial
a d
political
blame-shifti g
i
Jha kha d.
Thei
p otest
emai s
la gely
f ee
of
fo mal
pa ty
affiliatio ,
which
makes
it
ha de
fo
a y
uli g
dispe satio
to
dismiss
it
as
o chest ated
oppositio
theat e.& bsp;

Pu jab& squo;s
Exam
Disco te t

I
Pu jab,
the
Aam
Aadmi
Pa ty
gove me t
u de
Bhagwa t
Ma
faces
pa allel
heat.
Allegatio s
su ou di g
the
pha macy
office
ec uitme t
exami atio
held
o
July
19,
i
which
ca didates
we e
fou d
usi g
elect o ic
devices
fo
cheati g,
have
bee
seized
upo
by
Co g ess,
Shi oma i
Akali
Dal
a d
BJP
wo ke s.
Youth
Co g ess
a d
ABVP
activists
ma ched
towa d
the
Vidha
Sabha
a d
we e
met
with
wate
ca o s.& bsp;

Oppositio
leade s
claim
a
se ies
of
i egula ities
ove
the
past
fou
yea s,
while
Ma
i sists
o
pape
has
leaked
u de
his
watch
a d
that
the
ece t
i cide t
was
a
busted
cheati g
acket,
ot
a
systemic
leak.
Fa me s,
wome
a d
stude ts
have
staged
sepa ate
p otests
o
othe
g ieva ces,
addi g
to
the
se se
of
accumulati g
public
dissatisfactio .
& bsp;AAP
built
its
political
ide tity
o
the
p omise
of
clea
gove a ce
a d
a ti-co uptio .
The
same
ya dstick
is
ow
bei g
applied
to
its
o ly
state
gove me t.& bsp;

Whethe
o
ot
the
oppositio
pa ties
of
Pu jab
a e
amplifyi g
the
disco te t,
the
u de lyi g
questio
emai s
o e
of
i stitutio al
i teg ity.
Accou tability
ca ot
be
t eated
as
a
weapo
ese ved
exclusively
fo
the
ce t al
gove me t.& bsp;

ALSO
READ:

OPINION
|
Cock oach
P otest
Not
Simila
To
Neighbou hood’s
Ge -Z
Moveme ts

Beyo d
Bi a y
Politics

Oppositio
pa ties
f amed
the
Ja ta
Ma ta
su ge
la gely
as
a
a ti-BJP
mobilisatio .
Co g ess,
Samajwadi
Pa ty,
T i amool
Co g ess,
AAP
a d
Left
g oups
all
appea ed
at
the
site.
The
la ge
youth
se time t,
howeve ,
was
di ected
at
a
gove a ce
cultu e
that
allows
exami atio
mafias
a d
opaque
p ocesses
to
flou ish.& bsp;

Reduci g
the
moveme t
to
a
simple
co test
betwee
the
uli g
pa ty
a d
its
ivals
c eated
a
da ge ous
bi a y.
That
bi a y
is
ow
bei g
tu ed
agai st
the
oppositio
itself.
Right-wi g
voices
a e
al eady
attempti g
to
weapo ise
the
Jha kha d
p otests
fo
electo al
gai ,
p ecisely
because
the
o igi al
dema d
was
eve
limited
to
o e
political
colou .& bsp;

Looki g
Fo
New
Political
Space

A
visible
wave
of
disillusio me t
with
mai st eam
pa ties
is
taki g
shape.
You g
I dia s
who
feel
failed
by
successive
gove me ts
a e
sea chi g
fo
alte ative
platfo ms
that
speak
thei
la guage
of
me it
a d
fai ess.
If
oppositio
leade s
assume
they
will
automatically
ha vest
the
divide ds
of
the
Ge
Z
a ge ,
they
mis ead
the
mome t.
The
stude ts
who
fo ced
a
U io
mi iste & squo;s
esig atio
a d
who
co ti ue
to
sit
i
Ra chi& squo;s
stadium
a e
ot
looki g
fo
ew
pat o s.
They
a e
looki g
fo
systems
that
wo k.

A y
pa ty,
whethe
i
powe
at
the
Ce t e
o
i
the
states,
that
t eats
accou tability
as
optio al
will
fi d
the
p otests
p olo ged
a d
the
political
cost
steep.
The
stadium
i
Ra chi
a d
the
st eets
of
Pu jab
a e
o ly
the
begi i g
of
a
lo ge
ecko i g.

Saya ta
Ghosh
teaches
jou alism
at
St.
Xavie & squo;s
College
(Auto omous),
Kolkata.

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