“Gen Z” protests are testing the Sangha and raising uncomfortable questions

Cockroach Janta Party supporters celebrate after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned after protesting alleged examination irregularities and NEET paper leak at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 25, 2026. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

The student protests against the alleged NEET paper leak seem to have hit the BJP and the larger Sangh Parivar closer to home than previous agitations against the NDA government at the Centre.

Other cases of unrest between BJP members and those associated with the Sangh Parivar also came to the fore after reports emerged that Assam Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta’s daughter, Dibisa Mahanta, had joined the student protests.

News of Manica Rana, the former president of BJP’s youth wing in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal, also spread on social media. Reports claimed that she was expelled from the party after she participated in the CJP-led student protest at Jantar Mantar.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Rana confirmed that she had been to the protest on many occasions and that she supported the students’ demands. But the youth leader denied reports that she would be 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 some personal commitments. Yes, I support all the demands of the students, including Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, but I am still in the party and in touch with senior officials,” she added.

Former Minister of Trade Unions Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi had already expressed concern over the police action against the protesters on July 20, writing, “Better late than never” on X after Mr. Pradhan’s resignation.

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

In a post on X, which he clarified was “his own opinion” and had “nothing to do with the RSS”, Mr Sharda said the BJP’s media team relied on memes and “what abouts” instead of creating a counter-narrative and failed to gauge the growing anger of the youth over issues like NEET because it lacked a feedback mechanism from the ground.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had to intervene personally to regain the narrative, reflected poorly on the party’s communications strategy, arguing that his criticism was intended to strengthen, not undermine, nationalist forces.

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

Published – 27 Jul 2026 22:38 IST