Modi Faces Deepening Crisis as Gen Z Protests Surge Across India
Explore how Gen Z protests are surging across India, challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi with unprecedented street dissent and youth activism.
POLICY WIRE — New Delhi, India — Despite tens of thousands of security personnel deployed to stop them, youth protesters in India scaled barricades, chanted anti-government slogans and scuffled with police officers.
Gen Z protests have surged across India as youth anger over jobs, dissent, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government grows. Reuters reported on the escalating unrest.
Street protests in India this year are likely to be higher than at any time in the past decade, according to the independent Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) Project. Dissent continues to mount against Narendra Modi’s administration as Gen Z activists pour onto the streets.
Analysts note that these youth protests, alongside growing support for the opposition, form the worst crisis Modi has encountered. Young demonstrators have successfully exposed the limits of a strongman’s authority.
Modi has maintained a strongman image and his government has previously cracked down on pockets of dissent harshly. However, that history has not fazed the youngsters currently taking over the streets.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has long succeeded in isolating and undermining opponents, the ongoing Gen Z demonstrations pose a challenge unlike any he has faced before. Crushing this dissent risks deepening the democratic crisis he should confront.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
