# EP 426 | Dhaka to Kathmandu to New Delhi: Truth About Gen Z Protests | Sanjay Bhardwaj & Pathikrit Payne

An episode of [ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1646927006), 24 Jun 2026, 1 h 53 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/fa8ad6f8/podcast/play/121924990/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-24%2F3bcf1d64-7184-abbc-3621-2127465d0b59.mp3

Pathikrit Payne has over 20 years of experience in journalism and policy analysis. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation. Sanjay Bhardwaj is the former Chairperson of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of International Studies. He specialises in India's foreign policy towards its neighbours, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and China. In this episode of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, the guests discuss the Gen Z-led protests in India's neighbouring countries, the rise of the Cockroach Janata Party, and whether Gen Z has the power to influence or even topple a government in India. 00:00 - Introduction 01:40 - Youth in West Bengal & Tamil Nadu 13:55 - Youth Protests Around the World 21:44 - Challenges to Democracy 33:53 - Are India's Youth Angry? 46:04 - Gen Z Protests 1:02:10 - The Sanatan Debate 1:12:40 - Do Neighbours Distrust India? 1:24:33 - India-Bangladesh Relations 1:37:57 - The Aspirations of Today's Youth

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