The 'cockroach' in the machine: How Gen Z is rattling South Asia's elites

South Asia's leaders have long boasted about their demographic dividend. But the region's young people are turning it into a political reckoning.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7200x4800+0+0/resize/7200x4800!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F4c%2F81357f0a4fe0b41a8a9e2355c512%2Fgettyimages-2286627612.jpg' alt='A Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporter shouts slogans at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Thursday during the ongoing protest to demand the resignation of India's education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.'/><p>South Asia's leaders have long boasted about their demographic dividend. But the region's young people are turning it into a political reckoning.</p><p>(Image credit: Sajjad Hussain)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5908567' />