00:00Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a fresh bid to calm mounting anger over examination
00:04paper leaks as students prepare for nationwide protests on Friday. He's posted a rare video
00:10message on his ex-account saying the leaks are not a trivial matter and extremely painful for
00:15many students and their families. The video address came as crowds continue to swell around
00:20the main protest site in New Delhi, led by a group known as the Cockroach Janta Party.
00:26Fasted courts.
00:30The departments have worked hard and gave me a draft legislation late in the night.
00:34The draft legislation has provisions for fast track courts and harsh punishment. It will
00:40be discussed in the cabinet and after taking suggestions from them, a final version will
00:45be ready and on Monday when the session starts, we will try to get the bill passed as quickly
00:50as possible.
00:54Let's go to Mumbai for more on this. Bloomberg Senior India Editor Manika Doshi joining us.
00:59So Manika, considering that Narendra Modi put out that message at about midnight, it does
01:04seem that the protesters might have shaken his confidence a little.
01:09Well it does seem like that. The Prime Minister finally broke his silence yesterday after days
01:15of tens of thousands of students gathering in the streets of Delhi and then on the streets
01:20of many other cities across India. But the commentary from the Prime Minister, empathetic but also perfunctory.
01:28He has not directly addressed the protesters demands, but he has spoken of working to bring to justice
01:37this quickly. Those found guilty of leaking exam papers and also speaking to exam stress and education policy in the
01:48country.
01:49This is not a sign that the protesters are going to back down. In fact, so far we've heard that
01:55the protests continue.
01:56And what a week it has been, Paul. A week that is a reminder of what democratic dissent means, but
02:04that has also raised, you know, questions around the economy because really at the heart of these protests are economic
02:13opportunities that are lacking for young people in India.
02:16To talk about the implications of this long protest, the student protest, I'm joined by Rahul Verma, fellow at the
02:25Center for Policy Research. Rahul, it's been many days of watching students from across different castes, classes, religions and aspects
02:34of society come together in this rather spontaneous fashion to protest not just the examination system, but now a wide
02:43range of issues.
02:44What stood out the most for you in these past few days?
02:50Inka for having me first. I think there are a couple of things we need to watch out. First point
02:57is that in last 12 years of Modi government, we have seen multiple protests. So every two or three years,
03:05this government has seen big mobilization.
03:08But what is different this time is that in previous iterations of protests, those were either on policy differences or
03:18on ideological sort of like differences.
03:21And so every time the government had a counter narrative or counter offensive to deal with the protest the second
03:28and so this protest is different because it is about administrative failure about the promise of the state to millions
03:35of youth across the country that the fair there will be fair reward.
03:41So that is not.
03:43So that is not being met.
03:44So that is not being met. This sort of like so Cockroach Janta Party, which was formed on Instagram, it's
03:50in some ways, you know, like for two to three weeks, did not attract any attention.
03:55They had called for a march towards the parliament on July 20th, Monday this week, and it is then when
04:04you start seeing outpouring of not just students, but their parents and people from across many segments to come and
04:12join this anxiety that you rightly pointed out.
04:16In some ways, India's youth are not able to see their paths of upward mobility, competitive exams and exams for
04:25systems of higher education remain one of the surest way of upward mobility in a country like India.
04:31And if that gets blocked because of examination leaks or other kind of administrative failures, like you are bound to
04:39see this kind of frustration.
04:41And in last six to eight years, we have seen more than two examination paper leaks.
04:49Well, Rahul, you know, how do you see this shaping Indian politics over the near and medium term?
04:56Everyone I speak to expects it will have no impact on, let's say, the next upcoming election in Uttar Pradesh.
05:04But it could reshape both how the opposition takes up important issues, but also how the government sees its own
05:11accountability.
05:15Menka, I think the reading about this movement may not have any kind of electoral impact is based on this
05:23idea that in past 12 years, the government has seen many protests, but every time it was able to overcome
05:29them.
05:29And electorally, it didn't make any big dent on their prospects.
05:35But I think this movement is different, largely because of the sociology of the protest.
05:41A large number of people who are protesting are basically middle classes, upper caste, people who would have usually voted
05:49for the BJP.
05:50And so in some ways, this is the first big protest that BJP is seeing, which is coming from their
05:58own constituency.
05:59So that's one.
06:00Two, I think all protests at some points to reap a tipping point or cross a threshold.
06:07So it may not have like a big impact, say, in UP elections or Gujarat elections next year.
06:16But over time, all of these things will start building up.
06:19What we must remember that this protest has come at a time when the government is facing headwinds on a
06:26lot of other things.
06:27For example, there have been allegations of corruptions and theft in the Ram Temple complex.
06:33So there is a religious issue involved.
06:35There have been allegations of BJP leaders basically helping their relatives in land deals and other kind of things.
06:41So there is question of corruption and propriety involved.
06:45Then the international environment has become difficult.
06:49Oil prices have shot up.
06:51So inflation is shooting up.
06:52Economic anxiety is building up.
06:55So the reason why this protest may have impact on even electoral outcomes, not because of the protest alone, but
07:02because this on examination.
07:04But this protest is in some ways is able to attract the anxieties and frustrations on many other things as
07:12well.
07:12And also because it comes from BJP's own core constituency.
07:18All right, Rahul, quick final short response to what this means for Prime Minister Modi's popularity is unprecedented undented popularity
07:28for almost 12 years with the brief impact of the last election.
07:32But here are young students on the streets of Mumbai, you know, pointing a finger directly at him.
07:41So brief response would be I like I think Prime Minister Modi continues to remain very, very popular.
07:47This moment presents another opportunity for him to renew his sort of like popularity in that sense and renew his
07:57legitimacy in that sense.
07:58In 2024, BJP did suffer some losses and there is an opportunity here if the government does not does not
08:07engages with the protest in the right manner, it might dent their popular.
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