CJP’s
success
may
have
ope ed
the
doo
fo
the
ext
big
youth
moveme t,
but
what
issue
ca
tu
o li e
a ge
i to
eal-wo ld
actio ?
I dia
just
wit essed
the
‘ eel’
ge e atio
make
the
‘ eal’
wo ld
liste .
July
2026
saw
somethi g
I dia
pa e ts
have
d eamt
of
fo
yea s:
Ge
Z
looked
up
f om
its
sc ee s.
But
it
was
fo
a
cause.
They
tu ed
memes
i to
megapho es
a d
fo ced
the
cou t y
to
pay
atte tio
to
exam
efo ms.
I
thei
ow
la guage,
they
ate
a d
left
o
c umbs.Exam
pape
leaks
we e ‘t
ew.
Stude t
p otests
we e ‘t
eithe .
What
was
diffe e t
was
how
a
“cock oach”
ema k
s owballed
i to
a
meme,
the
i to
the
Cock oach
Ja ata
Pa ty,
a d
eve tually
i to
a
atio wide
moveme t
that
domi ated
headli es.Now
comes
the
bigge
questio :
What
othe
issues
is
I dia
talki g
about?
Eyes
o
Jha kha d
While
the
CJP
p otest
has
e ded,
the
dema d
fo
a
system
ove haul
has
ot.
As
Ja ta
Ma ta
we t
quiet,
Jha kha d
eme ged
as
the
ew
battleg ou d
as
stude ts
dema d
accou tability
ove
JPSC-JSSC
exam
i egula ities.Stude t
leade
Deve d a
Nath
Mahto
has
bee
o
a
hu ge
st ike
si ce
August
2,
while
p oteste s
a e
seeki g
a
i depe de t
p obe
a d
efo ms
i
the
ec uitme t
p ocess.
E20
The
the e
is
E20,
a
policy
that
di ectly
affects
vehicle
ow e s.The
atio wide
ollout
of
20%
etha ol-ble ded
pet ol
has
spa ked
a
political
a d
o li e
debate
ove
mileage,
olde
vehicle
compatibility
a d
whethe
the
Ce t e
followed
the
phased
oadmap
laid
out
by
NITI
Aayog.
Afte
the
NEET
p otests,
calls
fo
U io
mi iste
Niti
Gadka i’s
esig atio
bega
ci culati g,
while
leade s
i cludi g
A vi d
Kej iwal
a d
Rahul
Ga dhi
also
aised
the
issue.Vivek
Rajput,
a
CA
at
a
top
gove me t
fi m,
says
that
although
he
has
eve
atte ded
a
p otest,
this
might
become
his
fi st.
“If
the e
is
a
p otest
ove
E20,
I
will
defi itely
go.
My
vehicle’s
mileage
has
go e
dow
compa ed
to
befo e.”CJP
spokespe so
Ashutosh
Ra ka
ag ees
that
E20
dese ves
atte tio ,
but
questio s
whethe
the
gove me t
has
adequately
add essed
co ce s
a ou d
its
impact
a d
be efits.
“Obviously,
E20
is
a
impo ta t
issue
that
eeds
to
be
add essed.
I
do ‘t
thi k
the
gove me t
has
ve y
scie tifically
backed
data
to
suggest
whethe
the
vehicles
would
be
impacted
o
ot,”
Ra ka
said.“Neithe
has
the e
bee
a y
cla ificatio
o
why
the
p ices
have ‘t
d opped
as
it
was
p omised
to
us.
So
what
exactly
has
etha ol
E20
pet ol
achieved
i
the
cou t y?
The e
is
o
so t
of
cla ity
o
that.”
Co tai e s
displayed
as
pu po ted
fuel
samples
a e
see
du i g
a
I dia
Youth
Co g ess
(IYC)
p otest
agai st
E20
fuel
policy
(PTI)
Lack
of
jobs
I dia’s
job
c isis
is
pa ticula ly
acute
amo g
its
g owi g
pool
of
educated
you g
people.
Acco di g
to
the
State
of
Wo ki g
I dia
2026
epo t,
the
umbe
of
you g
g aduates
ose
ea ly
13-fold
f om
about
5
millio
i
1983
to
63
millio
i
2023,
but
g aduate
u employme t
amo g
those
below
25
emai s
close
to
40%.
The
umbe
of
u employed
g aduates
has
also
su ged
16-fold,
f om
less
tha
1
millio
to
a ou d
11
millio
ove
the
same
pe iod.
Gove me t
data
poi ts
to
co ti ued
p essu e:
youth
u employme t
amo g
15-29-yea -olds
eached
16.2%
i
Ju e
2026,
eve
as
thei
labou
fo ce
pa ticipatio
ate
fell
to
40.3%.
The
figu es
highlight
a
wide i g
gap
betwee
the
umbe
of
you g
people
e te i g
the
wo kfo ce
a d
the
availability
of
secu e,
quality
jobs.Also
ead:
I side
I dia’s
b oke
jobs
ma ket
a d
why
the
‘cock oaches’
a e
fed
upA ge
has
also
bee
g owi g
ove
the
i c easi g
tax
bu de
o
commo
people.
“As
the
fi a ce
mi iste ,
Ni mala
Sitha ama
is
ot
givi g
e ough
tax
be efits
to
sala ied
people.
U de
the
old
tax
egime,
at
least
people
could
save
mo ey
a d
also
save
o
taxes.
Now,
eithe
a e
we
able
to
save,
o
a e
we
getti g
tax
be efits,”
said
Rajput.
A ti- ese vatio
moveme t
Rese vatio
Hatao
A dola
(RHA)
ece tly
gai ed
ea ly
6
millio
followe s
o
I stag am.
“Backed
by
citize s
who
feel
left
behi d
by
ese vatio
politics
a d
d ive
by
me it.
The
b ave
ea
espect
th ough
thei
cha acte
a d
pe seve a ce.
O ly
the
cowa dly
a d
the
c uel
keep
shouti g
about
caste,”
the
I sta
bio
of
the
page
eads.The
page
was
fo med
i
Octobe
last
yea
a d
the
fi st
post
was
made
i
Ma ch
this
yea .
Si ce
the
CJP
p otest,
the
accou t
became
mo e
active.
CJP’s
spokespe so
Ashutosh
Ra ka
b i gs
focus
o
lack
of
jobs
has
posted
five
b oad
dema ds:
ese vatio :
U de
this,
they
dema d
that
the
ese vatio
should
pu ely
be
based
o
the
i come.O e
family,
o e
ese vatio ,
o e
time:
U de
this,
it
dema ds
that
o ce
a
family
has
be efited
f om
ese vatio ,
the
ext
ge e atio
should
compete
o
me it.Mi imum
sta da ds
fo
eve yo e:
U de
this,
it
dema ds
that
eve y
exam
should
have
mi imum
qualifyi g
ma ks
withi
10-20%
of
the
highe
quota
cut-off.
If
ese ved
seats
fall
vaca t,
it
wa ts
them
allotted
to
the
Ge e al
catego y.No
ese vatio
politics:
U de
this,
it
dema ds:
-
Political
pa ties
be
ba ed
f om
p omisi g
ew
o
highe
ese vatio
quotas
du i g
electio s. -
The
50%
limit
o
caste-based
ese vatio
should
ot
be
b eached.
The
su set
clause:
U de
this,
it
dema ds
that
o
policy
should
u
fo eve .
-
Set
a
time-bou d
oadmap
to
imp ove
gove me t
schools,
teache s
a d
educatio al
i f ast uctu e. -
As
educatio al
i equality
educes,
ese vatio
should
be
g adually
phased
out. -
Rese vatio
should
be
eviewed
eve y
10
yea s
usi g
updated
socio-eco omic
data. -
Rese vatio
lists
should
be
updated
pe iodically,
movi g
commu ities
that
have
p og essed
to
the
Ge e al
catego y.
CJP
spokespe so
Ashutosh
Ra ka,
howeve ,
believes
the
ese vatio
debate
itself
isks
taki g
atte tio
away
f om
a
la ge
p oblem:
the
sho tage
of
oppo tu ities.“I
thi k
the
ese vatio -hatao
moveme t,
I
just
do ‘t
get
the
idea,”
Ra ka
said.
“The
focus
eve y
time
the
debate
is
b ought
o
ese vatio ,
that
eally
mea s
that
people,
the e
is
a
dist actio
f om
the
b oade
issue.”Fo
Ra ka,
that
b oade
issue
is
jobs
a d
seats.
“The e
a e
o ly
2%
of
the
jobs
which
a e
gove me t
jobs
i
this
cou t y,
98%
of
the
jobs
i
this
cou t y
a e
p ivate
secto
jobs,”
he
said.
“Why
a e
the e
ot
e ough
jobs
i
this
cou t y?
Why
a e
the e
ot
e ough
gove me t
seats,
medical
seats,
e gi ee i g
seats
i
this
cou t y?”“Rese vatio ,
the
topic
of
ese vatio
is
always
a
dist actio
o
the
b oade
st uctu al
issues
which
o
o e
is
eady
to
add ess.
We
eed
mo e
jobs,
we
eed
mo e
seats
i
colleges.
That’s
what
people
should
be
aski g,”
he
said.Othe s,
howeve ,
see
ese vatio
itself
as
the
issue
that
eeds
to
be
challe ged.The
matte
has
gai ed
eve
mo e
atte tio
afte
the
UGC
ules.
The
UGC
equity
egulatio s
have
also
become
a
pote tial
flashpoi t,
with
the
2026
ules
aimed
at
add essi g
disc imi atio
i
highe
educatio .
Membe s
of
Swa
Samaj
a d
B ahma
Pa iva
stage
a
p otest
agai st
the
UGC’s
ew
caste-based
equity
ules
at
Haz atga j,
i
Luck ow,
Utta
P adesh
i
Ja ua y
(PTI)
The
Sup eme
Cou t
stayed
the
egulatio s
i
Ja ua y,
citi g
ambiguities
a d
the
possibility
of
misuse,
but
the
issue
has
esu faced
amid
g owi g
a ti- ese vatio
se time t
o li e
a d
could
eme ge
as
a othe
pote tial
t igge
fo
youth
mobilisatio .But
whethe
o li e
t actio
ca
become
a
st eet
moveme t
emai s
a
ope
questio .Rajput
said
his
b othe
se t
him
the
Rese vatio
Hatao
A dola
page
o
I stag am
a d
he
sta ted
followi g
it
o ly
last
week.
He
said
the e
we e
21
people
o
his
team
with
eight
o
i e
belo gi g
to
the
Ge e al
catego y
while
the
othe s
be efited
f om
ese vatio .Fo
Rajput,
howeve ,
the
o li e
moveme t
has
ot
yet
t a slated
i to
a
willi g ess
to
p otest
o
the
g ou d.
That
disti ctio
could
p ove
c ucial.
Afte
all,
CJP’s
success
was
ot
simply
about
getti g
people
to
watch,
like
o
sha e.But
the e
is
a
cou te -a gume t
to
the
idea
that
ese vatio
could
become
the
ext
u ive sal
youth
cause.
Ma y
SC/ST
commu ities
a d
othe
socially
disadva taged
g oups
still
lack
equal
access
to
quality
educatio ,
pa ticula ly
i
u al
a eas
whe e
caste-based
disc imi atio
a d
social
i equalities
co ti ue.So,
u like
the
pape -leak
issue,
whe e
the
g ieva ce
could
u ite
stude ts
ac oss
catego ies,
a
a ti- ese vatio
moveme t
begi s
with
a
built-i
fault
li e.It
may
have
the
followe s.
It
may
have
the
sloga s.
It
may
eve
have
people
eady
to
take
the
fight
to
the
st eets.
But
whethe
it
ca
eplicate
CJP’s
c oss-sectio al
appeal
is
a othe
questio
altogethe .
Pollutio
Diwali
is
just
a
couple
of
mo ths
away.
A d,
as
p edictable
as
the
festival
itself,
the
a ual
debate
will
etu :
to
bu
o
ot
to
bu
c acke s.But
fo
Delhi-NCR,
pollutio
is
ot
just
a
seaso al
social-media
debate.
Whe
the
ai
tu s
toxic,
the
G aded
Respo se
Actio
Pla
(GRAP)
kicks
i ,
b i gi g
cu bs
that
ca
affect
eve ythi g
f om
co st uctio
a d
t affic
to
office
timi gs
a d
schools.
A
study
by
IITM-Pu e
a d
CAQM
fou d
that
without
GRAP,
Delhi
could
see
60%
mo e
seve e-AQI
hou s,
while
the
measu es
could
educe
PM2.5
levels
by
up
to
42
µg/m³,
depe di g
o
the
stage.
A ti-pollutio
p otest:
P oteste s
last
yea
showi g
poste s
of
Maoist
comma de
Madvi
Hidma,
who
was
killed
i
a
e cou te
(PTI)
I
Mumbai
too,
pollutio
has
eme ged
as
a
g owi g
u ba
challe ge,
with
co st uctio
a d
oad
dust,
vehicle
emissio s
a d
i dust ial
activity
amo g
the
key
co t ibuto s
to
poo
ai
quality.
Pollutio
spikes
have
become
a
ecu i g
co ce ,
with
seve al
pa ts
of
the
city
eco di g
AQI
levels
above
200,
aisi g
co ce s
ove
p olo ged
exposu e
to
ha mful
pa ticulate
matte
such
as
PM2.5.
The
p oblem
adds
to
the
wide
challe ges
of
apid
u ba isatio ,
i f ast uctu e
g owth
a d
i c easi g
vehicula
t affic
i
the
city.So,
could
pollutio
become
the
ext
allyi g
poi t,
o
is
a
issue
with
o
si gle
villai
simply
too
difficult
to
tu
i to
a
moveme t?
“If
the e
is
a
p otest
ove
pollutio ,
I’ll
go
fo
that
too.
I
thi k
we
ca
aise
ou
voice
ove
issues
that
di ectly
affect
us.
I
would
eve
joi
a
p otest
ove
taxes,”
said
Rajput.The
logic
is
simple:
if
a
issue
hits
you
lu gs,
you
wallet
o
you
eve yday
life,
it
may
be
easie
to
tu
out age
i to
actio .
So,
what
actually
makes
people
p otest?
Fo
Rat a
Si gh,
CJP’s
legal
head,
the
a swe
is ‘t
simply
the
issue
itself.
It
is
how
that
issue
is
packaged,
commu icated
a d
mobilised.She
believes
CJP
gai ed
mome tum
because
it
was
a
Ge
Z
p otest
a ou d
educatio
—
a
issue
that
exte ds
well
beyo d
NEET
aspi a ts
to
competitive-exam
ca didates,
school
a d
college
stude ts,
g aduates
a d
you g
people
looki g
fo
jobs.Educatio ,
she
said,
allowed
both
Ge
Z
a d
Ge
Alpha
—
a d
eve
thei
pa e ts
—
to
elate
to
the
moveme t.
“A
lot
of
people
i
the
c owd,
whe
they
we e
comi g,
they
we e
like,
you
k ow,
my
pa e ts
we e
ot
letti g
me
be
he e.
But
ow
I’m
he e.
So
they’ e
also
suppo ti g,”
Si gh
said.A d
the
comes
the
pa t
that
may
matte
most
fo
the
ext
p otest.
“Somethi g
ca
t e d
o
I stag am,
but
o
g ou d,
how
you
a e
pla i g
it,
how
you
a e
st ategisi g
it,
that’s
also
impo ta t,”
Si gh
said.She
added
that
people
may
elate
to
a
issue
o li e
but
still
ot
tu
up
physically.
How
o ga ise s
co vey
the
impo ta ce
of
a
issue
—
a d
how
they
pla
to
keep
a
agitatio
goi g
—
ca
dete mi e
whethe
it
su vives
beyo d
a
social-media
t e d.
Why
CJP
clicked
with
I dia’s
youth:
A ge ,
accessibility
a d
a
platfo m
to
be
hea d
That
is
pe haps
the
biggest
lesso
f om
CJP.Goi g
vi al
ca
get
a
issue
oticed.
Mobilisi g
people
ca
tu
it
i to
a
moveme t.
Joi
co ve satio
All
Comme ts
→
Sha e
you
thoughts
i
the
comme ts
I sightful
Readi g
Developme t
Comme t
Be
espectful
·
TOI
commu ity
guideli es
Si gh
believes
u employme t
could
be
the
ext
majo
youth
issue.
CJP
is
pla i g
a
atio wide
“Kya
Bolti
Public”
campaig
i
Septembe
to
hea
f om
you g
people
ac oss
states
about
the
p oblems
they
face.She
said
the
o ga isatio
wa ts
u employme t
a d
educatio
to
become
a
mo e
ce t al
pa t
of
the
public
co ve satio
a d
wa ts
to
u de sta d
youth
co ce s
a d
push
fo
efo ms.
“With
the
success
of
Cock oach
Ja ata
Pa ty,
this
wave
has
sta ted,
whe e
people
will
come
fo wa d,
people
will
talk
about
issues,
people
will
also
talk
about
u employme t
a d
youth- elated,
youth-ce t ic
issues,”
Si gh
said.Rese vatio
has
the
I stag am
audie ce.
Pollutio
has
the
lived
expe ie ce.
E20
has
the
eve yday
g ieva ce.
U employme t
has
the
scale.
But
whicheve
issue
wi s
the
ace
will
eed
to
clea
o e
fi al
hu dle.
It
has
to
make
people
look
up
f om
thei
sc ee s
—
a d
the
actually
leave
them.
