An opinion essay by Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, published on July 22, 2026, explores why India experiences frequent protests but not mass uprisings. The author argues that India’s functioning electoral system, institutional balance, and decentralized power structure allow public anger to be released through elections rather than revolutions. He contrasts this with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, where blocked political channels and institutional collapse led to uprisings.

The essay identifies several factors behind India’s stability: co-optation of protest movements by the state, vast social and linguistic diversity preventing unified national movements, and the dominance of identity politics over class-based solidarity. It also discusses the rise of the BJP and RSS, the marginalization of Muslims and Dalits, and the cultural influence of Bollywood in maintaining state legitimacy. The author references political theorists such as Huntington and North to explain India’s “limited access order.”

The piece concludes that India’s youth remain aware and critical despite propaganda, and that a genuine uprising could occur only if electoral legitimacy collapses and co-optation loses credibility.