India, July 24 -- The controversy surrounding the paper leak and the student protests has once again exposed the widening trust deficit between the government, the Opposition and the public. While the demand for accountability is legitimate, the unrest has also reignited a broader debate on the conduct of politics, governance and electoral reforms

In mid-May, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, presiding over an unrelated contempt hearing, described a certain kind of unemployed young Indian as a "cockroach" - jobless, chronically online, prone to attacking people on social media. It was meant as a throwaway aside. Ten weeks on, it has produced the largest sustained street challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has faced since...