BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
The Narendra Modi government’s actions on the 20th of July generated global headlines for news agencies, newspapers, and magazines between July 20 and July 25. Top international media, including the Financial Times, reported India’s Gen Z protesters puncture Narendra Modi’s aura of invincibility. The American news agency Associated Press wrote, “How India’s Gen Z movement of ‘Cockroaches’ dented Modi’s political image,” and Manhattan-based The New York Times said, “Phones in Hand, India’s Young Protesters Blast Through Modi’s Media Control,” and the New York-based news channel said, “A protest movement is challenging India’s establishment,” but they later removed the story for unknown reasons.
Similarly, the world’s topmost weekly magazine said that “What to know about the ‘Cockroaches’ and Revolt of the Cockroaches: How India’s Gen Z Humbled Modi” because the Narendra Modi government’s Delhi and central police used lathi charges, tear gas and pellet guns against thousands of innocent students, ages 16 to 25, who were marching to Parliament to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan due to NEET exam paper leaks and irregularities in national competitive examinations.
In addition to the headlines about police actions against protesters and the protest at Jantar Mantar from July 20 to July 25, there are other headlines that many newspapers and news channels do not carry, such as the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are not seen in the Lok Sabha or Rajay Sabha after July 20, and there is no official statement from the Narendra Modi government regarding their attendance in the ongoing moonsoon session of Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the first day of the Lok Sabha proceedings after addressing the nation with his four ministers, as July 20 marked the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament. And whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters love or hate me, my views remain unchanged. And he speaks through a few mickes outside of Parliament before the start of any session, which I call the “nation to address” technique, and he has used the same strategy to address the nation since becoming Prime Minister of India in 2014.
And, interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced stricter new actions and fast-track measures in a video message on July 23, 2026, and his Cabinet announced an anti-paper leak bill on July 24, 2026, but when the bill was passed after debate in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajay Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not present. In fact, Home Minister Amit Shah was not present when the bill was passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, despite the fact that Delhi Police and Central Police fall under the purview of Home Minister Amit Shah, as Delhi Police and Central Police were responsible for maintaining law and order during the protests, which began on June 20 and ended on July 25.
On the other hand, following a discussion in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Parliament enacted the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026. The bill amends the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, for increasing the number of judges of the Apex Court from the present 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice of India). In May this year, President Droupadi Murmu had promulgated an ordinance to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37. And both houses of Parliament also passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Additionally, Narendar Modi’s absence from both houses of parliament between July 21 and August 7 indicates that he and his government have taken advantage of the people’s mandates. And it is new for him because he has not communicated with voters who supported him, his party candidates, or his alliance partners since becoming India’s prime minister in 2014. He has communicated with voters and people in a one-way manner, acting in accordance with his preferences rather than the wishes of the population.
And I used one-way communication for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this column, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not held press conferences or briefed Parliamentarians in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha after returning from an official visit to any nation. Prior to 2014, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh used to inform Parliament and parliamentarians after returning from any official visit to any nation.
The Narendra Modi government, which has a complete majority thanks to helps from NDA alliance partners, has been thinking, “Everything is fine, and there is no need to give any account details to any parliamentarians and citizens,” for the past 12 years.
Therefore, it appears that Prime Minister Narendar Modi, his cabinet, ministers, the BJP party, and party leaders or members, including his coalition partners, have forgotten that the twenty-first century is a time of social media and technology and Gen Z.
Many people, like myself, believe that the internet and social media play an important role. Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, were the first to be totally engaged in technology from infancy, which distinguishes them from previous generations. And current trends show that children are eating their meals alone while watching social media reels rather than their parent’s hands, and children are also ceasing to scream when they watch social media reels rather than going into their parent’s arms.
Furthermore, the Narendra Modi administration has completely forgotten that students are not like the bosses of the Election Commission of India (ECI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED), because the Election Commission bosses dance to government directives, whereas students are unable to dance like the ED or ECI bosses because Generation Z is shifting to political activism that can help the society and demand accountability.
On July 25, If Narendra Modi had not accepted protesters’ demands, protesters would have brought down the Narendra Modi government if he had not fulfilled their demands, because the protest was not only going on at Jantar Mantar, but it was expanding across the nation and showing anger against the Narendra Modi government due to their stubborn attitudes for not listening to their demands despite continuing to request through protests that began on June 20. After all, a government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Even after July 25, students are still dissatisfied with the Narendra government, even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attempting to establish a connection with Gen Z or students by posting “Friends” videos on social media late at night. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unexpectedly posted a video on social media on July 31 at 11:06 p.m., in which he expressed his forgiveness to all the young people who had used derogatory language against him at Jnatar Mantar in New Delhi and other Indian cities between July 20 and July 25.
In conclusion, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen outside of Parliament on July 20 when addressing the media, as well as while sitting in Lok Sabha; after that, thereafter, he was not seen in either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha of Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from Parliament during the monsoon season indicates that he does not want to face the people of India and their representatives who are waiting to question him on who is responsible and whose instructions were given to Delhi and central police to use lathi charges, tear gas and pellet guns against thousands of innocent students.
