India’s Modi faces mounting pressure as Gen-Z protest leaders return to talks

NEW DELHI: India’s government resumes talks on Saturday with leaders of a Gen-Z-led protest movement that paralysed parts of the capital this week, as demonstrators dig in on their demand for the education minister to step down.

The protests mark the biggest youth-led challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced since taking power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the protesters’ demands, disrupting parliament’s monsoon session, which opened this week. Thousands of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) supporters rallied in central Delhi on the fourth straight day of closures at 18 metro stations, as authorities moved to choke off access to the protest site.

“They have given us a time between 3.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. today,” said Ashutosh Ranka, the party’s national spokesperson.

“We need clarity on Dharmendra Pradhan’s future,” he added, referring to the education minister, whom students want to see take responsibility for flaws in the examination system. “Will the government seek his resignation or not? We want a yes or no answer,” he questioned further.

Anger has boiled over since police cracked down on Monday, injuring many students after they launched baton charges and fired tear gas to deter tens of thousands of protesters marching on parliament.

The protests, led largely by young people, reflect anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability, widening since they were unleashed by discontent over leaks of question-papers for high-stakes entrance exams.

At Friday’s talks, party representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka warned federal ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh the protests could spread unless Pradhan stepped down.

Those talks came hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike, raising hopes for a breakthrough.

The government extended a mobile internet shutdown in the area for the fifth straight day on Saturday, two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Protesters aired frustration over the extended shutdown but vowed not to let it weaken their movement.

“They can shut down internet, metros and buses, but what will that achieve? Nothing. People who want to join the protest will still come,” said Rahul Raj, a 34-year-old protester at the site.

The protests were galvanised by leaks of question papers for medical school entrance examinations that forced more than 2 million candidates to retake tests, exposing shortcomings in the education system.

Protesters are demanding the education minister’s resignation and sweeping exam reforms.