India, July 27 -- Amid mounting outrage over the paper leak controversy and student protests that forced Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday admitted that Opposition parties had failed to win the confidence of the youth.

In an interview with Saamana, Thackeray also expressed disappointment over the functioning of the INDIA bloc, saying, "INDIA bloc has been blocked as of now."

Referring to Abhijeet Dipke, who returned from the US and emerged as a prominent face of the student movement, Thackeray said the response he received from young people underscored the Opposition's inability to connect with the youth over the past 12 years.

"The Opposition parties failed to e...