New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party’s youth protest, which culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, has sparked a wave of smaller demonstrations across India over issues ranging from the education system and ethanol-blended fuel to crumbling public infrastructure.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Sadanand Dhume gives his take on the phenomenon and asks whether it bears any parallels with the Arab Spring. Or can the movement even be compared to recent youth-led stirs in South Asia.
Dhume says the parallels are “overblown”. “Unlike Egypt or Nepal, India is an established democracy with a long tradition of power changing hands through the ballot box,” he writes.
He argues that India’s military, unlike many of its neighboring militaries, has historically remained apolitical.
India is also “too big and decentralized”, Dhume notes, for any specific group to overthrow the government. “The country’s politics, finance, entertainment and technology aren’t concentrated in a single city.”
However, Dhume says, Prime Minister Modi still has reason to worry. On paper, Modi may look “close to the apex of his power” winning a streak of Assembly elections after losing their majority in Lok Sabha in 2024. “On closer inspection, however, Mr Modi’s vulnerabilities become apparent,” Dhume writes.
“Twelve years ago, he won power by promoting himself as a reformist who would end public corruption and solve India’s unemployment problem. He hasn’t come close to achieving either goal,” he adds.
The column also notes that while traditional media may back him, it is becoming increasingly difficult to control the narrative in the age of social media. In a largely young country, 40 percent of Indian graduates under 25 are unemployed, Dhume says, citing a study published by professors at Azim Premji University.
Dhume quotes journalist Varghese George as describing the BJP-CJP face-off as one between India’s older “WhatsApp generation” and the “Instagram generation”.
Modi, Dhume adds, “may have finally met his match in a Generation Z movement that began less than three months ago with a satirical social-media post”.
Soutik Biswas of the BBC interviews Prof V. Kamakoti, director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, and discusses whether shifting NEET from offline to computer-based testing model is an effective solution to prevent future leaks.
Modi, following Pradhan’s resignation, announced an NTA reform task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to integrate technology better in the examination system. One of the proposed changes is shifting NEET from a pen-and-paper format to online format.
Biswas writes that the Supreme Court, while welcoming the change, has also flagged that CBT alone cannot make the exam system leak-proof.
Biswas says that the answer lies in how characteristically different the 2026 leak was from the 2024 leak. “The leaks occurred at opposite ends of the exam process. In 2024, the paper was allegedly leaked after printing, when sealed trunks were opened during transit to exam centres,” he writes.
“In 2026, the leak allegedly happened before the paper left the NTA, with teachers accused of leaking it from within the system. Officials say the safeguards on printing, transport and distribution held up,” he adds.
Thus, Kamakoti, talking to the BBC, points out that trust is the determining factor in ensuring that leaks do not happen again. “The roots of trust lie in two places: the teachers who set the question papers and the invigilators who supervise candidates. If either is compromised, the system is vulnerable,” he told the BBC.
Officials have proposed extensive CCTV surveillance, with live feeds monitored from central control rooms. Kamakoti also said AI could go further by automatically flagging ‘suspicious behaviour’ like prolonged conversations between invigilators and candidates.
However, even the most secure technology, Biswas writes, cannot eliminate the human factor. “The biggest challenge is to get trusted question setters,” Kamakoti told the BBC.
Gautam Adani is considering a bid for Britain’s largest port operator, in what would be the Indian industrialist’s first UK investment, Chris Kay of the Financial Times reports.
“The billionaire chair of Adani Group, a corporate empire that spans ports, media, mining and utilities, is weighing an offer for Associated British Ports (ABP) as two Canadian pension funds prepare to sell their stakes, according to three people familiar with the matter,” he writes.
Adani showed interest in the investment after Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System—who own 34 percent and 33 percent stakes respectively in ABP—are looking to sell their shares and take an exit.
Adani’s deal remains in its early stages, and those familiar with the matter told the FT that any deal is unlikely to come through this year.
Citing one of its sources, FT says this provides Adani with a presence in a G7 economy, unlocking many additional opportunities. An acquisition opportunity like this is not open anywhere else.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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