At last, the impasse has ended. After one-and-a-half months of relentless protests by students, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned from his post. The sit-in at Jantar Mantar is now expected to end. But even as one chapter closes, far bigger challenges lie ahead—both for the government and for the Cockroach Janata Party, which spearheaded the agitation.
The first question obviously is: why did the government finally relent? Or did it, in fact, manage to concede while still emerging stronger demonstrating that it does listen to its people.
With Parliament’s Monsoon Session underway, the government now has an opportunity to introduce a stringent anti-cheating law. Even more important than enacting such legislation, however, is ensuring that it is implemented in both letter and spirit.
The government’s foremost priority should be to ensure that no examination paper is ever leaked again. From the moment a question paper is prepared until it reaches the hands of candidates at the examination centre, it must remain inaccessible to anyone else. The entire process needs to be made as foolproof as that of the UPSC. And if, despite every safeguard, a leak does occur, those responsible must face exemplary punishment so severe that it serves as a deterrent for anyone contemplating a similar crime.
For the government, this episode is nothing short of a wake-up call. Before public anger over other issues snowballs into mass movements similar to the paper leak protests, it must proactively identify and resolve concerns that directly affect ordinary citizens. Good governance demands not only that a government performs, but that people can clearly see it performing.
In the days leading up to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out directly to the country’s youth through social media, communicating in a language and style that resonated with them. He addressed issues affecting young people head-on that too on social media platforms popular among the youth like Instagram.
At the same time, he deputed two senior ministers—J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh— to hold talks with student representatives and Sonam Wangchuk. During the very first round of negotiations, two key demands were accepted. The government sought twenty-four hours to decide on the third demand – the minister’s resignation. Soon thereafter, the Prime Minister reportedly asked Dharmendra Pradhan to step down, paving the way for the remainder of the Monsoon Session to proceed without disruption.
The decision also demonstrated that the government is not as disconnected from the aspirations of India’s youth as many had assumed. Their methods may have appeared unconventional, and their language may not always have been to everyone’s liking, but the government ultimately succeeded in establishing a dialogue with them and accepted their principal demands.
The movement now presents an equally significant challenge for the Cockroach Janata Party. How will it channelise the enormous energy and goodwill it has generated among young people? Will it identify another youth-centric issue and launch a fresh nationwide campaign? Will it, like the Aam Aadmi Party once did, transform itself into a political organisation and contest elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand? Or will it choose to remain an issue-based pressure group, much like India Against Corruption did during its campaign for the Lokpal Bill, influencing public policy without entering electoral politics?
One more issue remains unresolved. Will the criminal cases arising out of the violence during the Parliament March on July 20 be withdrawn, as demanded by the protesting students? That march left sixty students and one hundred and eighteen police personnel injured. If the cases are withdrawn indiscriminately, would those responsible for attacking police officers escape accountability? Such a precedent could embolden violent elements to infiltrate future protests with the expectation of impunity.
The government would therefore be well advised to distinguish between peaceful protesters and those responsible for violence. While genuine students deserve a fair hearing, neither plainclothes policemen found guilty of assaulting students nor anti-social elements who infiltrated the protests and resorted to violence should be allowed to escape the law. Justice must be even-handed, impartial and firmly rooted in accountability.
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