NEET Crisis Sparks Internal Friction: Sangh Parivar Faces Youth Rebellion

Internal Dissent Fractures the Ruling Coalition

The fallout from the NEET examination integrity scandal has breached the internal defenses of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Following the July 25, 2026, resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the governing apparatus faces an unprecedented challenge: its own members are joining the fray. The optics of the Jantar Mantar protests shifted significantly when Dibisa Mahanta, daughter of Assam Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta, was identified among the student activists.

This internal friction extends to the party's grassroots leadership in Uttarakhand. Manika Rana, former president of the BJP’s youth wing in Tehri Garhwal, confirmed her presence at multiple protests. While Rana clarified that her removal from her leadership post in April was due to personal reasons rather than disciplinary action for her activism, she continues to publicly advocate for the students' demands. Her stance highlights a growing disconnect between the party’s central leadership and its younger constituents who feel aggrieved by educational mismanagement.

Criticism from the Old Guard and Ideological Architects

The government's handling of the crisis has drawn sharp rebukes from veteran figures. Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, a former Union Minister, condemned the police tactics used against demonstrators on July 20. Following the Education Minister's departure, Joshi succinctly remarked on social media, "Better late than never," signaling a clear dissatisfaction with the timing of the administrative response.

Simultaneously, the RSS’s ideological camp has launched a scathing critique of the BJP’s optics. Ratan Sharda, a prominent RSS member and contributor to the Organiser, characterized the party’s attempts to handle the "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP) narrative as a "spectacular failure." Sharda’s assessment identified several systemic weaknesses:

• A reliance on superficial memes and historical comparisons instead of addressing current grievances.
• The absence of a robust feedback loop to monitor youth sentiment regarding NEET.
• An over-reliance on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally salvage a deteriorating communication strategy.

Shifting Political Ground

For the Sangh Parivar, these developments represent more than a temporary policy failure; they suggest a erosion of a demographic they previously dominated. Sharda emphasized that his public critiques were aimed at reinforcing nationalist forces, yet the necessity for such a public intervention points to a breakdown in the party's internal dialogue mechanisms. As the youth-led movement gains momentum, the BJP is forced to confront the reality that its traditional communication machinery is no longer insulated from the frustrations of its own base.

Source: The Hindu — Home