CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar: The youth movement did not see the arrival of India’s Modi

“There is deep economic discontent and anxiety, which has been replaced by hopelessness about the future,” Aiyar says. “This may reflect the weakness of a government that has been in power for a long time. The failure to fulfill the promises that built its name may have reached a high level.”

To her, the protests are more than a policy failure.

“The message from the opposition is clear. We are tired. We need a new kind of politics. A new political grammar – one based on ideas and focused on governance and delivery.”

Whether that frustration can continue as a political movement is another question.

Political scientist Suhas Palshikar argues that the cockroach movement can easily vent public anger before it slowly loses steam, like the farmers’ protest.

“Where does cockroach activity go? It probably doesn’t get anywhere – it lets frustrations out and disappear,” he wrote in X.

Like Gen Z, he cautions against romanticizing violence.

“It’s wrong to imagine the youth movement or the Gen Z movement – these are myths that are convenient for opinions.” He argues that the movement’s “ideological and political character… is currently fluid” and that various political forces may seek influence.

He said what the opposition has undeniably shown is a willingness to clash with the government.

“The youth have shown their anger and disgust. They have brought down the brutal police of the democratic government. They have also shown that only street action will make this regime… Listen and speak.”

Whether this energy can be sustained, Palshikar argues, depends on many factors, including government repression, media blackouts, leadership challenges and the difficulty of building broad social coalitions.

Surajit Mazumdar, an economist at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, believes the move already points to something bigger than the exam paper leak.