Gen Z protests spur government change, but structural reforms still needed, says Sripad Bhat
Activist B. Sripad Bhat argues that while Gen Z protests successfully forced operational changes in the government, structural reforms remain unaddressed. He emphasizes the need for civil society to guide youth movements toward deeper political and systemic change.
Why it matters
Provides a critical perspective on the efficacy of youth-led social movements in the context of Indian democratic institutions.
The Gen Z protesters succeeded in forcing the Modi government to act at the operational level, while civil society has the responsibility to draw on the spirit of the youth movement and work out strategies to bring about change at the structural and policy level, said B. Sripad Bhat, a writer and activist.
Delivering a lecture on the recent students’ protest against the NEET-UG paper leak, at a programme organised by Namma Balaga in Shivamogga on Wednesday, Mr. Bhat said forcing the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was replaced by Pralhad Joshi, amounted to a change at the operational level.
“What the students achieved was not a small thing. In the process, the youth effectively delegitimised the leadership and system that their parents’ generation had voted into power. However, neither the National Testing Agency nor NEET has been scrapped, which would constitute a structural reform,” he said.
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