‘Gen Z’ protests test the Sangh, raise uncomfortable questions

Protests by students over the alleged NEET paper leak appear to have hit closer to home for the BJP and the larger Sangh Parivar than previous agitations against the NDA government at the Centre.

After reports emerged that the daughter of Assam Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta, Dibisa Mahanta, had joined the protests by students, other instances of disquiet among BJP members and those associated with the Sangh Parivar have also come to the fore.

News about Manika Rana, former president of the BJP’s youth wing in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal, also went viral on social media. Reports claimed that she had been expelled from the party after participating in the CJP- led student protest at Jantar Mantar.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Rana confirmed that she had been to the protest on multiple occasions and that she supported the students’ demands. The youth leader, however, denied reports that she had been expelled because of her participation.

“I was removed from the post of youth wing president in April this year as I was busy due to certain personal engagements. Yes, I support all demands made by students, including the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan but I am still with the party and in touch with senior leaders,” she added.

Former Union Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi had already expressed concerns over the police action against protesters on July 20, and after Mr. Pradhan’s resignation, he posted on X, “Better late than never”.

RSS member Ratan Sharda, who is also a contributor to the RSS mouthpiece Organiser, has publicly argued that the BJP’s communication machinery and IT Cell failed to effectively counter the narrative around the CJP-led “Cockroach Protests”, calling it a “spectacular failure”.

In a post on X, which he clarified as “his own view” and had “nothing to do with the RSS”, Mr. Sharda said the BJP’s media team relied on memes and “whataboutery” instead of building a counter-narrative, and failed to gauge growing youth anger over issues such as NEET, lacking a feedback mechanism from the ground.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi having to personally intervene to regain the narrative reflected poorly on the party’s communication strategy, while asserting that his criticism was intended to strengthen, not undermine, nationalist forces.

For the BJP and the RSS, the protests have raised uncomfortable questions over a support base they have long taken for granted and troubles at home.