The govt must recognise India’s young citizens are watching and demanding accountability
What no political party could achieve in the past 12 years, the country’s youth, especially Gen Z, accomplished. Their victory, after a long and hard struggle, is one that is likely to be remembered for a very long time. When they started the satirical “movement”, hardly anyone expected the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to achieve anything. But their perseverance paid off.
Like the “cockroaches” they are, the students refused to budge and kept the fire burning. Abhijeet Dipke came all the way from the US to form CJP. It took time, but the students who initiated the movement were willing to take on any authority for their demands – the primary one being the resignation of the Education Minister over the NEET paper leak. Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike took the movement to a different level.
The saffron brigade, including a part of the intellectual class, tried hard to tarnish their image. They said CJP leaders and Wangchuk were Chinese agents, Pak agents, urban Naxals and much more. Intimidatory tactics have also been used over the years to suppress movements across the country. If they refuse to budge, then they are jailed and kept languishing there for a long time.
Gen Z and other youngsters are not blind to what is happening in the country. We may want to believe that they have a short attention span, that they have no focus, and are busy with reels. But they and other youth have been watching how jobs are created in the country and how entrance exam systems are mismanaged. They don’t want religious politics—something the present dispensation uses to its advantage. They want peace and harmony. They want to crack the tough exams and move ahead, making the country shine; their dream is realistic and not slogan-based—of Viksit Bharat. Our country has the potential to be a leading knowledge-based economy and is one of the fastest-growing major economies. Shouldn’t this be ideal for our youth to fulfil their dreams? But papers are leaked or results are rigged. Sometimes jobs are sold. Gen Z is not for corruption or buying jobs. They want everything based on merit, not tokenism. That’s the reason the Cockroach movement received unprecedented support from the youth across the country, cutting across barriers of religion, caste, creed, ideology, etc. “You cannot achieve the status of a developed country by selling jobs, paper leaks and divisive politics”, was the clear message from the students. The paper leak issue was the trigger; the angst against the present regime had been simmering.
CJP leaders – all youngsters – brought the government to its knees. There is no doubt that the BJP has a formidable formula for political dominance. The BJP has the machinery to crush any opponent, but it failed with the CJP – the power of the youth. Gen Z and others braved lathis and tear gas. Those videos angered students across the country. The BJP failed to understand Gen Z. As one commentator said, seeing all this, the ruling dispensation may have realised the power of Gen Z in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh quite late. Then, suddenly, the scared regime acknowledged that education reforms were required. They even announced the dismissal of several NTA officers. Why wasn’t it done earlier?
It is time the government listened to the youngsters of the country. The cockroaches and termites have shown the world their power. No government can afford to ignore them. It is time to take them on board if we are serious about achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat.
