6 min readAug 2, 2026 06:23 AM IST First published on: Aug 2, 2026 at 06:22 AM ISTSadly, I must begin this piece on a gloomy note. It appears that no lessons were learned from Jantar Mantar by either the government or the opposition. If they had been learned, the opposition would have chosen to speak inside Parliament about students being shot at instead of playing into the government’s hands by making the usual racket and reckless demands. Rahul Gandhi led the charge by insisting that the Home Minister would have ordered pellet guns to be used and that he should resign for doing this. The government, for its part, lied that no guns were used when there is clear evidence that they were.The government should have discovered from the Cockroach Janta Party’s remarkable protest in Jantar Mantar that they are dealing with a new generation of Indians who will not accept lies and will not be afraid. It should have learned that going back on its promises will be immediately spotted and opposed. Since it did not, it reverted to the typical tactics that we have seen against dissidents, which is to bully them into obedience. Criminal cases have been filed against young people who mocked the Prime Minister in Jantar Mantar and the founder of the CJP has been personally threatened with dire consequences.