One does not need social scientists to explain the meaning and significance of what happened on July 20. It was a protest alright, but it was also an outburst. It is apparent that the government yielded to that pressure with poor grace. This was exemplified by the “welcome” accorded to the minister who had resigned. That act of showing contempt for the protests fits into a pattern — while the government buckled under pressure, the pro-BJP ecosystem has been busy spreading all kinds of explanations for the outburst, conspiracy and “foreign hand” included.

Whether the Cockroach Janta Party is a tool for someone, whether some parties sought to hijack the agitation, or whether the Prime Minister’s midnight message on Instagram hit record views are irrelevant tidbits worthy of corner columns in newspapers. The real — and admittedly intriguing — aspect of the CJP protests has been the unexpected and unanticipated spontaneity, right from the first post by Abhijeet Dipke about cockroaches. Instead of examining this aspect, the government seems content with either damage control or talking of the specious issue of “intelligence failure”. When you mute all voices, except those reflecting narcissistic praise, intelligence failures are bound to happen.

Besides, on the watch of the current regime, there is a clear lack of reliable empirical data on what people think. This is for two reasons: Methodologically, when public opinion is permeated by extreme........

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