With the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and the impact of the 36-day-long youth protest sinking in, BJP leaders are engaged in a stock-taking exercise, with a section arguing that the decision could have been taken earlier, as the entire episode has left a deep dent on the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government. However, they see no political damage since the Opposition has not been able to take advantage of it.On Monday, when Parliament reconvened, several party MPs and even the ministers heaved a sigh of relief that they were “back on track” with their legislative agenda to push several reform Bills, including the pending Delimitation package.Several party leaders admitted the “fiasco could have been avoided” or “the damage could have been reduced by taking the necessary steps earlier”. “By stretching it so long, we have let the internal vulnerabilities of the party and the government be exposed,” said a BJP MP.Also Read | CJP warns of protest again, says students arrested, being harassedA senior government functionary said that had the Cabinet reshuffle happened before the Parliament session, as was being speculated in BJP circles, Pradhan could have been moved out, preempting the demand for his resignation. “Both exercises are long-pending and ended up getting connected to the protests when they, simply, are not. Now, however, it is difficult to separate the two and one’s impact on the other,” a senior BJP leader said.On Monday, senior party leader P Murlidhar Rao, who is considered to be close to the RSS leadership, posted a cryptic message on X. “Governance may emerge from the mandate of the majority, but it endures only through the consent of the governed. At the heart of good governance lies the trust of the people,” Rao said. Referring to Mahabharata’s Yudishthir, considered the most righteous king, Rao said that governance must “always remain anchored in integrity”.Don't Miss | RAF man fired 7 rounds from pellet gun, 5 hit protesters during CJP’s Parliament march: ProbeHe wrote: “Pran jaye par vachan na jaye”—the ideal exemplified by Shri Ram—reminds every public leader that keeping one’s word is the foundation of public trust. This should remain the talisman—the guiding lamp post—for every leader entrusted with governance in India.”Explaining the context of his post, Rao maintained that the same principles always guided the Prime Minister — be it in withdrawing contentious farm laws after prolonged protests by farmers, and now education reforms. “… our leadership is guided not by our adversaries but by Indian ethos,” Rao said.Story continues below this adLike Rao, several party leaders believe that PM Modi asking Pradhan to step down showed that “he was inspired by the principles of dharma” and “trust of the people”.Even as the leaders appreciated the move, party sources admitted that in the government “all decisions are taken by PM Modi” only. “Even in those videos he released last week, he was trying to address the students directly. In this government, he does the station inauguration to task force formation. So, we believe he is still the in-charge,” said a party MP, adding that ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, sent for negotiations with the CJP leaders, were reporting directly to him.Although the delay did cause some damage to the government’s image and dented the PM’s own, party leaders argued that it would not bring electoral damage “unless an opposition party succeeds in taking advantage of it”.Said a senior leader: “CJP is not a political force that BJP should be worried about. It would have been dangerous politically had Rahul Gandhi or the Congress led the protest or is in a position to cash in on.”Story continues below this ad“His (Modi’s) image has got a dent. But he can recover. The PM is confident that he can manage this too,” added another leader.Sources pointed out that even the disruptions in Parliament on Monday were “primarily by the Congress” while others, including the Left parties and Samajwadi Party, were keen on a discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill-2026 that seeks to bring in tougher measures against the paper leak and stringent punishment to the perpetrators of those who are involved in such irregularities. “This shows that the Opposition is still not able to get its acts together,” said a minister.Both the Houses are expected to function normally on Tuesday. Party sources say the government will soon get into “full-fledged activities” to muster the two-thirds majority to push the pending 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, which is linked to rolling out the women’s reservation law and the Delimitation Bill.Meanwhile, the ruling BJP is set to launch a massive outreach programme to “address youth issues” even as it assesses the activities of its young leaders on Instagram as directed by PM Modi.Story continues below this adDays after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments underlining “discussion not dictation” as a guiding principle regarding the “new generation” at an event held in the Capital emerged, insiders sought to clear the air around “its context”. “The comments were certainly not about the youth protest, but advice to young, new-age parents. He specifically mentioned the analogy — lack of conversation within families these days due to fathers, mothers and children all busy with their mobile phones,” a source said.