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Indian prime minister Narendra Modi issued his first comments on Thursday aimed at pacifying hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered across the country seeking the resignation of the education minister, even as he stopped short of meeting their demands.
Thousands of youths flooded the streets of the Indian capital of Delhi this week, with more cities joining in the national call for dismissal of Dharmendra Pradhan over question paper leaks in some of the most competitive exams for medical colleges and government jobs.
The protests, which began more than a month ago by a youth-led movement called the “Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)”, has caused partial shutdown in Delhi with buses and metro stations closed.
Millions have marched to India’s parliament, expressing their frustration over the exam leaks through slogans, songs, posters, and memes.
Opposition parties have also joined the call for resignation of the federal education minister and an overhaul of the examination system and staged their protests outside the residence of Mr Modi.
The immediate trigger for the demonstrations was the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), India's undergraduate medical school entrance exam, after its question papers were found to have been leaked. About two million students across India took the exam on 3 May, but it was later scrapped, with about a dozen student suicides linked to its cancellation.
A re-test was held in June.
Mr Modi issued a statement on X on Thursday, announcing fast-track courts to handle the paper leak cases.
India’s special, fast-track courts are often set up to speed up urgent cases, which otherwise get lost in the country’s notoriously slow justice system.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard,” Mr Modi said, without addressing the month-long protests.
“Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” Mr Modi claimed. He did not respond to the calls for resignation of the education minister.
However, his statement was immediately criticised by the “cockroach” movement’s founder Abhijeet Dipke who suggested Mr Modi was still protecting his education minister.
Mr Dipke took a dig at Mr Pradhan by posting a meme captioned, “Hi, my name is nothing”.
The protests, he said, will continue until the education minister takes accountability for the question paper leaks.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of main opposition Congress party, claimed it was the prime minister who harmed the future of the country’s youth the most, demanding his resignation.
Mr Modi’s Hindu majority government has been criticised for their trademark pattern of not bowing to public pressure.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday, Mr Gandhi said he was detained with physical force by the police outside Mr Modi’s residence on Tuesday.
“The police dragged me and took me away, but were whispering in my ear to remove this government,” the Indian leader of the opposition claimed.
“One said, 'I am from Rajasthan, inko hataiye (remove them).' 'We are just wearing the uniform.' Another one was saying, 'I am from Haryana, inko hataiye',” Mr Gandhi said.
This is the first time India is seeing a protest led by the Gen-Z – those born between 1997 and 2012. It is also one of the biggest crises to hit Mr Modi since he formed his government for the third time in 2024.
India has one of the world’s youngest populations, with millions entering a labour market that has struggled to create enough secure and well-paying jobs for all. Despite years of rapid economic growth, many young people say their prospects have not improved.
As one of the country’s largest voting blocs, India’s youth could also become an increasingly important political force ahead of future elections.
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