Keeping up with UP: Why it could backfire if the BJP does not win over Gen Z

The BJP leaders were initially dismissive of both the temple theft issue and the student protest, expecting them to fizzle out sooner or later

In 2015, Union minister Rajnath Singh said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government ministers do not resign. He added that it happened in the previous Congress-led government, which was voted out of power a year earlier, implying Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not yield under pressure.

Assuaging the hurt sentiments of the youth and their parents remains a challenge. (HT PHOTO)

Singh’s statement went viral after Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned under pressure from agitating students protesting against examination irregularities.

The politically prudent decision of having Pradhan resign is believed to have been based on three factors. One, the majority of Gen Z protestors had no political leanings. They carried no party flags or applauded any leader. Two, no force could dissuade them from joining the protest. Third, prolonged agitation would be the BJP’s loss in the long run, and a crackdown would only boomerang.

The government has initiated steps to check the systemic failures. Even as the protest continued, the BJP deliberated its possible consequences and apparently chose to handle it carefully before the political challenge grew into something unmanageable.

Alongside, the Ram temple donation theft issue was growing worrisome. The impact of the twin issues cut across communities and generations. The BJP leadership perhaps realised the students would disperse after their demands were met, but the painful memories of police batons would remain. What if they decided to vote against the BJP? Youth and women have been the BJP’s major supporters since 2014.

The challenge was not just removing Pradhan but also assuaging the hurt sentiments of the youth and their parents. The BJP initially believed that the issue-based protest would end, and it was about urban youth, whose voting percentage is always low. The rural youth still under the BJP’s influence had not joined the protest in numbers.

The BJP leaders were dismissive of both the temple theft issue and the student protest, expecting them to fizzle out sooner or later. This stemmed partly from their leadership’s handling of the 2022 farmer agitation, which ended with the repeal of three farm laws that triggered a year-long protest.

The participation of youth from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in the student protest was a matter of particular concern for the BJP ahead of the assembly elections in these two key states in 2027. The BJP is determined to retain power in Uttar Pradesh for the third time. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s personal prestige is at stake. Forming a government in Punjab is high on the party’s agenda after wins in Bihar and West Bengal.

Student protesters travelled to Delhi from areas such as Prayagraj and Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh’s two main education centres. Protests at Varanasi’s Banaras Hindu University and Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University came despite Adityanath’s warnings.

When youth and their parents are demanding education reforms and employment, they will not find succour in religion. Many professors, who were in touch with the students to pacify them, insist that the majority of the protesters knew little about politics, though many of them voted for Modi with a hope for a better future. Thus, the party should not underestimate them.

Chaudhary Charan Singh University (Meerut) Professor Satish Kumar noted that general category students joined the Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar under Abhijeet Dipke, a Dalit. He added it is going to be the BJP’s loss. Kumar said the divide the University Grants Commission equity regulations caused has disappeared.

Kumar said BJP’s traditional voters are considering Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party as an alternative, but much will depend on the quality of candidates, which he doubted. He added the public admiration for Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav for showing compassion in nursing the injured students could pay electoral dividends. In any case, the temple issue has lost traction for the time being.

Many BJP leaders feel Modi will win back the youth and the temple theft issue is manageable with people still having confidence in saffron-robed Adityanath. They believe the alleged temple donation theft could harm the BJP if the big fish are not caught. The narrative against the Opposition for defaming Ayodhya is not convincing those who donated. They include professors and teachers, who donated one month’s salary. The police excesses on students have rubbed salt into their wounds. The issue of religion may have united the Hindus, but they are now sceptical about the credibility of the people managing temples and demand Modi break his silence on the issue.

Social justice would have more traction than religion as issues such as price rise and unemployment have gained equal importance. A last-minute dole can dilute the impact of social justice. Some issues linger on. People often do not speak and vote. They are watching carefully.