Protesters say they feel ‘ignored’ by mainstream politicspublished at 06:57 BST
Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Jantar Mantar, Delhi
I remember being at this same venue more than a month ago, for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP’s) very first protest. It’s clear that support for the movement has swollen, with thousands of people here. Some have told us they have travelled hours from outside Delhi to march.
A group of students have positioned themselves on the floor, in front of a row of riot police.
Three of them are wearing face masks and have travelled from out of town.
“We haven’t told our parents we’re here,” they told us. They were worried their parents would stop them from attending given the heavy police presence and the risk of clashes.
But they feel that after years of being ignored by mainstream politics, young Indians finally have a voice through the CJP.
“There are multiple issues going on in our country and they are not being acknowledged,” one of them tells me. “The government is not listening.”
While calls for the education minister to resign is one of the main reasons these crowds have gathered, protesters have told us the popularity of the movement represents the widespread discontent among young Indians.
