Will the old Narendra Modi please step-up?

If July was an eventful month for the country with protests in Jantar-Mantar, we ain’t seen nothing of August yet. As we approach Independence Day, multiple elements are at work to waylay the Narendra Modi government. There will be commotion in parliament to derail passing of the Women’s Reservation (aka Delimitation) and the contested FCRA (Foreign Contributions Regulations Act) Bills in the final week of the Monsoon Session even if the enlarged NDA bloc is able to muster requisite majority. Already there are indications of “sleeper cells” being activated across the country to unleash serial protests that will provide surround sound to the ruckus inside the house that might even cast a shadow on the 15 of August celebrations.

Let’s be clear — the “TG” (Target Group) of the CJP protests may be the Gen Zs — but it is neither an organic or spontaneous movement by the Gen Zs. It is an out and out political operation aimed at “regime change”. Through the ages — the youth (by whatever names called — Students or Gen Zs) have been the most volatile group, whose passions and emotions are easy to ignite. These agitations are designed for detonating pent up energy.

That does not mean the issues being raised by them — be it education or employment — are not genuine or consequential. Though it started with the NEET agitations asking for Dharmendra Pradhan’s scalp, it was indirectly aimed at higher echelons of power. It already trained its guns on the police accusing it of using disproportionate force against the agitators. Having tasted success it has quickly widened its net threatening to take on the election commission and the judiciary. The threat of boycotting the Chief Justice at the graduation ceremony of a premier law-school (NALSAR, Hyderabad) is deeply disturbing. In due course it will bring other institutions on the line of fire. The so-called CJP or Gen Z “movement” is morphing into a hydra-headed phenomenon with shifting goal-posts. These are clear portends of triggering anarchy in the streets.

Obviously months of preparation and loads of funding have gone behind it. Possibly from multiple sponsors — from overseas and their domestic agents . It explains why some politicians have been talking of Gen Z’s ad-nauseam for a long time. Assumptions that India is too large and diverse a country were perhaps being too simplistic and politically naive. The real strategists (read “andolanjeevis”) have for the time being withdrawn behind the curtains keeping Dipke, Das & Co in the forefront as the faces of the movement. Sonam Wangchuk has been discarded as a used tea-bag once he had served the purpose of garnering international attention for the agitation . This is the standard deepstate play-book of launching hitherto unknown actors on the stage — keeping a Yunus kind of figure waiting in the wings.

The Opposition — the Congress in particular — have been invoking Gen Z for a long time. They have openly called for a Bangladesh and Nepal kind of uprising. Apparently, the Congress’ media managers are working on an image make-over for Rahul Gandhi to enhance his appeal among the youth with a mix of rebellion and coolness. His communication — especially on digital media — has become slicker and sophisticated — less self-conscious — to increase his appeal among those young not only in age but also at heart. But, he has to maintain a delicate balance lest the CJP usurps the political space from his party a la Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. He is keeping them at arm’s length and taking a hands-off approach of supporting the cause but not the actors. He will probably wait for the Biryani to re-enter the scene when to partake in the Biryani like a Tarique Rahman flown back from exile to Dhaka amidst rousing reception by the protestors.

It will require max political ingenuity from Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to counter this development. For one, there are no immediate solutions for solving the age-old problems of the economy. Reforms take time to yield results and cause pain in the short-term. For so long, people trusted Narendra Modi to be the best bet for delivering change and fulfilling the aspirations of the next generation. But as time passes patience erodes and anti-incumbency sets in. Old promises sound jaded. Diplomatic wins appear too distant. Election victories yield diminishing returns and increasing numbers in parliament become a ‘zero sum game’. The line between strength and arrogance become blurred. Dreams of “Viksit Bharat” appear as esoteric as “India Shining”. People want to see the “here and now”.

The good news is that the government is seized of the reality. This was evident in Mr Modi’s quick course correction during the Jantar-Mantar agitation. His outreach on Instagram and speeches at the convocation function of Delhi IIT are indications of recalibration. The RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat interaction with Gen Zs shows alignment of the greater BJP ecosystem. But are these efforts too little, too late?

This writer has long maintained that the opposition has long realised that defeating the BJP electorally is an impossible task in the near future. Therefore, the only way to bring down the government will be by taking the battle to the streets. One of the prime exponents of this school of thinking, Yogendra Yadav, has in fact spilled the beans prematurely in the course of a media interview. All accusations of “stealing the elections” through manipulation of EVMs and revision of electoral rolls (SIR) in cohorts with the Election Commission are a build up to this line of action. That’s the Bangladesh model comes in — where Sheikh Hasina was accused of holding onto power by “rigging” elections. This is a proven — tried and tested — formula of forcing regime change by plunging the country into chaos.

The timing is ominous. Confrontation can’t be a solution. It will only compound the problem. Communication is the only way forward. For that we need to see the old Narendra Modi — so far visible only during elections — back in form.

Originally published at https://ghosespot.substack.com on August 10, 2026.