Mid-Day Opinion: Student stirs have lessons for govt

Protesters raise slogans at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar West on July 20. Pic/Shadab Khan

For the last 12 years, the BJP has shown that winning elections is not about staying away from controversies. It is about knowing how to survive them. The party has faced one political storm after another, from demonetisation and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to the long farmers' protest and criticism over Manipur. Each time, the Opposition believed the government was on the back foot. But the BJP repeatedly managed to change the narrative. Instead of remaining trapped in criticism, it shifted the focus to development, welfare schemes, nationalism or the Opposition's own failures. Time and again, what appeared to be a political crisis ended up strengthening the BJP rather than weakening it.

This time, however, the BJP is facing a challenge that appears different. The anger is coming from students, and student movements often carry a moral force that is difficult to dismiss or counter with political messaging.

For perhaps the first time since 2014, the BJP finds itself reacting to events instead of controlling the political narrative.

But this controversy is proving much harder to contain because it is no longer just a political issue. It has entered people's homes. Unlike many political protests that remain confined to college campuses, student agitations quickly become a part of conversations around the dining table because almost every family has a stake in education. Parents spend years saving money, paying for coaching classes and making personal sacrifices with one hope, that their children's hard work and talent will decide their future.

This protest is not merely about one examination or one administrative lapse. It has revived a much larger fear among millions of students and parents that years of hard work may no longer guarantee a fair opportunity. For millions of middle-class families, education is the only dependable path to a better future. Their biggest investment is not in property or business, but in their children's education. Competitive examinations are seen as the gateway to opportunity. When faith in that gateway is shaken, families do not see administrative lapses. They see years of sacrifice being put at risk.

That emotional connection gives student movements a moral strength that few other protests enjoy. Farmers' agitation mainly affects farming families. Reservation movements directly concern specific communities. Labour protests are largely linked to particular industries. But education is different. It cuts across caste, religion, region and class.

History shows that student movements often grow into something much bigger. The Bihar student movement in the early 1970s began over corruption, inflation, and unemployment but later became a nationwide movement under Jayprakash Narayan that eventually helped end the Congress's uninterrupted rule.

The Mandal protest of 1990 reshaped caste politics, while the anti-corruption movement of 2011 changed public discourse and gave rise to a new political force. Though triggered by different issues, all these movements eventually grew into larger debates about governance, fairness and public trust.
Student movements have also produced many of India's most influential political leaders.

The lesson from history is simple. Student protests are rarely remembered only for the issue that sparked them. They raise larger questions about fairness, accountability, and trust in the system. With students at the centre of the movement and parents becoming emotionally invested, the issue has turned personal rather than ideological. Whether this leads to electoral consequences remains uncertain, but it is undoubtedly proving far more difficult to manage than many of the party's earlier political challenges.

The government has announced inquiries and corrective measures, arguing that isolated failures should not undermine confidence in the entire system. But public trust is not restored by announcements alone. It returns only when students and parents believe the system is genuinely fair, transparent, and accountable.

Government ignores student agitation at its own risk. Young people do not leave their classrooms because they want to become politicians. They protest because they believe the system meant to protect their future has failed them.

Governments change, and Opposition parties eventually come to power, but the real challenge for every political party is to protect public trust. For the BJP, the challenge is even greater because much of its political success has long been built on the promise of merit, opportunity, and aspiration for young Indians.

If students begin to question whether the system rewards merit fairly, the challenge is no longer just administrative; it strikes at the heart of the BJP's strongest political narrative.

History shows that student movements do not always change government, but they often change the national conversation. Once parents begin to question whether merit alone is enough to secure their children's future, no government, however politically dominant, can easily change the narrative.

Sanjeev Shivadekar is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @SanjeevShivadek

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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper