Recent youth-led protests in New Delhi and other cities in India have fuelled allegations that they are connected to unrest in France and elsewhere in Europe, with an influential Hindu nationalist organisation warning of foreign forces seeking to destabilise societies.
While analysts caution against concluding that foreign interference played a role in demonstrations in India, they say protesters in Europe and India share similar concerns, reflecting their mounting anger that education and hard work no longer guarantee them economic security or social mobility.
In an address to mark the Hindu festival of Vijayadashami on Tuesday, Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said: “A storm has swept in from the West, driven by a demonic resolve to destroy and devastate all that is decent, auspicious and rooted in cultural and human values, both in Bharat [India] and across the world.”
He cited protests in France, Albania, Nepal and Bangladesh as examples of attempts to bring about a change in government without offering solutions to societal problems.