NDA vs Opposition, Jantar Mantar vs Jharkhand — but in the middle of this political theatre, who is actually paying the price?
By: Editorial Newsroom
There is a march on 11August 2026
Then there is another march on 21st July 2026
One side takes to the streets over the police crackdown at Jantar Mantar. The other raises its voice over developments in Jharkhand. Parliamentarians march, slogans are raised, cameras roll, statements are issued and political war rooms begin calculating the next headline.
But stop for a moment.
Where are the students in this entire political spectacle?
The NDA and the Opposition may have their political battles. They may have their accusations, counter-accusations, press conferences and protest programmes. They may fight over who gets to occupy the moral high ground.
But the student does not get that luxury.
The student has an examination to clear.
A career to build. A family waiting for results.
A future that cannot be postponed because political parties have decided to turn every street into an arena of confrontation.
And this is where the real question begins:
When politicians march, who walks behind them? The answer is often the same ordinary citizen who has no political flag in his hand.
The young student. The aspirant.
The first-generation graduate. The child whose parents have spent years saving money for education.
For them, politics is not a television debate.
It is a disruption. It is another cancelled class. Another examination delayed. Another road blocked. Another day lost.
Another opportunity slipping away.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHO SHOUTS LOUDER
The political class has mastered the art of converting every crisis into a contest of outrage. The Opposition says the government is suppressing democratic voices. The government says the Opposition is manufacturing political drama. One side calls it a democratic protest. The other calls it political opportunism. And somewhere between these competing narratives, the actual issue disappears.
This is the disease of Indian politics today—not that politicians protest, but that almost every protest eventually becomes more about political ownership than public resolution.
The question should not be: Who organised the bigger march?
The question should be:
What changed after the march?
- Did the student get justice?
- Did the examination system improve?
- Did accountability increase?
- Did the police action get independently examined?
- Did the affected citizens receive relief?
- Or did we simply get another day of shouting?
DEMOCRACY NEEDS PROTEST. BUT PROTEST ALSO NEEDS RESPONSIBILITY.
Let us be absolutely clear.
The right to protest is fundamental to a democracy. Police accountability matters.
Excessive use of force must never be normalised.
The government must answer difficult questions. But democratic protest cannot become an excuse for political theatre without an exit strategy. And law enforcement cannot become a political instrument merely because the people on the other side of the barricade belong to a rival political camp.
Both power and protest have responsibilities. The government must exercise restraint. The Opposition must exercise responsibility. The police must remain professional. And political leaders must remember that their followers are citizens first and party workers second.
THE STUDENT CANNOT BE YOUR POLITICAL COLLATERAL
This is the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to discuss. India's young population is constantly invoked in political speeches.
Every party claims to speak for the youth.
Every manifesto promises jobs.
Every leader talks about education.
Every election campaign talks about India's demographic dividend.
But when political confrontation spills onto streets, campuses, examination centres and public infrastructure, the same youth becomes collateral damage.
You cannot claim to represent India's youth while repeatedly making their future hostage to political confrontation.
The student does not need another political spectacle. The student needs functioning institutions. Transparent examinations.
Accountable recruitment systems. Safe campuses. Reliable public transport.
And, above all, the confidence that their future will not be decided by the political temperature of the day.
NDA, OPPOSITION — THE COUNTRY IS WATCHING
Today, the NDA and the Opposition may be marching from different directions.
Their slogans may be different. Their targets may be different. Their political calculations may be different.
But the country is watching both.
And the question is simple:
Are you marching for the citizen, or are you marching for the headline?
Because India does not need politics to disappear. India needs politics to grow up.
It needs a government strong enough to tolerate dissent without intimidation.
It needs an Opposition strong enough to oppose without reducing every issue to spectacle.
It needs police forces strong enough to maintain order without unnecessary force.
And it needs political leaders mature enough to understand that democracy is not measured by the number of barricades broken or slogans shouted.
It is measured by whether an ordinary citizen can disagree with power and still feel safe.
AND THE STUDENT?
The student is still waiting.
Waiting for the examination.
Waiting for the result.
Waiting for the job.
Waiting for justice.
Waiting for politicians to stop using the word “youth” as a campaign slogan and start treating young Indians as stakeholders in the country's future.
So before the next march begins, before the next slogan is raised, before the next political war occupies prime time, ask one question:
If the politicians win their political battle tonight, what exactly does the student win tomorrow?
If the answer is nothing, then perhaps the march was never really about the student.
And that is the uncomfortable question both sides must answer.
Because the streets may belong to politics today — but the future belongs to the students.
Published by:
The Opinion Editorial Desk