India’s ‘cockroach’ protests: a rare political opening for the opposition?

India’s student-led “cockroach” protests, which began as anger over alleged entrance exam leaks, are now becoming a broader test of whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government can contain young Indians’ frustration over education, jobs and accountability.The fast-growing movement gained political momentum on Tuesday when opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were forcibly removed after a gathering with about 100 fellow lawmakers outside Modi’s residence to condemn the use of force against student protesters.Analysts say the protests have exposed a rare opening for the opposition: a youth grievance that cuts across party lines, speaks directly to middle-class anxieties over opportunity and fairness and puts pressure on a ruling party more used to setting the political agenda.Police detain demonstrators during a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday. Photo: ReutersThe intervention by opposition politicians followed clashes in central Delhi on Monday, when thousands of protesters tried to march towards parliament to demand the resignation of education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.