‘People’s sympathy is now with the youth’: BJP workers worry about crackdown on protests

On Monday, when thousands showed up in Delhi for the Cockroach Janta Party’s march to Parliament, students in Madhya Pradesh organised small demonstrations to support them.

For a Bharatiya Janata Party leader from the state, who asked not to be identified, that was proof that the youth anger over the the mismanagement of the national entrance test for seats in medical colleges was “genuine” and had reached his state.

Though the protests in his district mostly drew left-wing student-activists, he was worried that the fire could spread.

Evaluating the BJP-led Union government’s handling of the situation in the national capital, he blamed the Delhi Police for using excessive force.

“Yes, the youth were all over Connaught Place [in the heart of Delhi], but they were not committing crimes,” he said. “Why did the police beat them up?”

A day after the police crackdown on student protestors in Central Delhi, several BJP workers across the country said they were worried about the ripple effects of the Narendra Modi government’s handling of the protests.

One party worker from Haryana, who also sought anonymity to speak freely, complained that the central leadership had bungled its response to the Cockroach Janata Party campaign. “They took it very lightly,” the 34-year-old remarked.

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