Washington: Ongoing protests by Patels, 'a relatively prosperous caste in India' seeking reservations, pose a big challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plans for reforms and signifies that India isn’t creating enough jobs, according to the New York Times.

The protests "highlight a major problem: India isn't creating enough good jobs," said the influential daily dubbing them as "India's Middle-Class Revolt" in an editorial published Tuesday. "This is a big challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has built his political career on promises to reform and modernize the stalled economy," it said.