BY SATYAPAL MENON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Initially, NDA Government underestimated the protests, thinking that it was just some momentary
outburst which would eventually subside into a whimper. 

As the noise grew louder and the movement
gained momentum, the government attempted to undermine and physically asphyxiate the high decibel
pitch by the youth for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmesh Pradhan. 

Finally, when all strategies -- coaxing and coercion - were stonewalled by the agitating youth, realization and reason
dawned on the government, that the only solution was in introspection and genuflection to the
demands. 

The obduracy and of the dogmatic dispensation was decimated by the synergy - the energy of
the youth complemented, supplemented and augmented by the equally potent digital media.

Activist Sonam Wangchu's fast, seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmesh Pradhan by

owning responsibility for the NEET question paper leak scam had ignited the conscience of the youth in
India, substantiated by the momentum of the ongoing protests. 

It is perhaps an outcome waiting to
happen, but awaiting the spark that could activate concerted participation and action from among the
youth in the country. 

If NEET scam was the trigger, it was observations by the Chief Justice of India and the consequent reactions of the youth that proved to be the genesis of a massive movement in the
making. 

And, it was the digital media which facilitated the possibility for the youth to unite with a single
voice on a single platform.

The churning among the youth across India can be viewed as an inevitable consolidation of a Digicracy in
the making. A Digicracy of the Digizens, by the Digizens, and, for the Digizens. 

Digital revolution is facilitating a metamorphosis from corrupt, anachronistic and atavistic agenda-driven Indian political ethos to a more responsible, responsive, and, accountable governance. 

Digicracy has enabled Digizens to scrutinize the credentials and claims of all politicians in the electoral fray and ruling political establishments.

Nonchalant and politically-indifferent youth of the country have woken up from their slumber, and it was a wake-up call for all deeply entrenched political parties which have outlived its existence with its archaic ideologies and policies. 

The manifestation of embedded frustration and skepticism was triggered by demoralizing and derogatory references against unemployed youth of the country. 

The ill-conceived remarks were misconceived as an imputation portraying unemployed youth through a
humiliating context. 

From the perspective of those targeted and at the receiving end of derisive observations, the reactions were justified, since the language, the context, the content, and the phrasing, had the markings of being misconstrued as irreverent.

The devil must be given its due - despite the negativity of the observations - because it provoked the collective conscience of the youth. 

The diatribe would probably ignite politically proactive and participative mindset among the youth of this country. Their response was not symbolic, but symptomatic of unsatiated inherent aspirations. 

Significantly, the comments comparing the unemployed; with cockroaches were not met with agitations and sloganeering, but through a novel and cerebral strategy. The youth had a potent weapon to implement this strategy- the digital media. 

It was bereft of noise, violence, anger and drama -except for a semblance of satire. The communication and the body language were abstract, but the message was clear. It was not an outburst, but an indication reflective of the inherent discontent. 

And unexpectedly, the entire gamut of communication
being played out went viral and sent the netizens into a tizzy. Precisely, because the message had a universal appeal and was relevant to the entire youth of the country, irrespective of caste and religion.

The message was loud and clear for all political parties across ideologies. There were mixed reactions from the politicos. For some of the established parties, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was hard to digest.

Some discerned a "foreign hand" behind the launch of CJP. Yet others were of the opinion that the CJP
was created by malcontents. Nervousness was palpable in all these impromptu reactions, assumptions and presumptions. 

Even assuming that CJP;s existence could prove to be ephemeral, the very momentum of the movement on social media reflected cathartic release of inhibited frustrations.
Perhaps it was the need of the hour, since the youth always tuned in to social media for their interactions and information.

The tendency among youth to be apolitical was born more out of its sheer irrelevance to their needs and
aspirations. Livelihood options, career and job opportunities, prospects for stability and financially secure life. 

All these were on offer on paper in the form of manifestos, but very little of the promises materialized. Politicians; and youths' priorities are different, both perhaps incompatible with each other.

Moreover, there is a generational communication gap between the politicians and the youth of the
country.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), only about 38% of eligible first-time voters – 18 million out of 49 million – have registered to vote in the 2024 national elections. Less than 40% of first- time voters aged 18-19 registered to vote. The total young voters' (18-29 years) percentage comprised.

a little over 20% - at 21.1 crore out of a total electorate of 99.1 crore. Digital Medium has evolved as the
most powerful communication in shaping and influencing public opinion. 

It has proved to be a democratic weapon, facilitating untrammeled freedom of expression, dissent, and debate. Till the late nineties India' s digital divide was huge. 

Digital inequitability meant that the digitally enabled were more informed and those who had no access to the internet/information technologies were less informed.

There was also a likelihood that accessibility meant politically, socially, and economically more informed

than those without net accessibility. The advancement of mobile technologies has dissolved the digital
divide, enabling access to the entire country. 

Digicracy has entrenched itself deeply into the mindset of
the people, especially the youth, creating the potential for socio-political and economic consciousness among the digizens. 

The recent events and happenings revolving around the CJP have created the foundation and opened the digital floodgate for youth participation in the political process and
discourse.