When students spoke, government listened

Nandan Nilekani to lead high-powered exam reform task force, says PM Modi. (File Photo) 3 min readJul 28, 2026 04:51 PM IST First published on: Jul 28, 2026 at 04:51 PM IST By Pratyush Kanth The defining story of the recent student movement is not the protest itself. Democracies are meant to witness protests. The defining story is how the Government of India responded. For nearly a decade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been portrayed by his political opponents and sections of the international media as an authoritarian leader intolerant of dissent. Every political controversy has been presented as fresh evidence to reinforce that narrative. The recent student movement has challenged that assumption.Faced with student protests at Jantar Mantar, the Modi government had several options. It