In India, the Scion of a Political Dynasty Tries to Seize His Moment

Rahul Gandhi is the descendant of three prime ministers. A surge of protests could give him a springboard to take on the nation's current leader.

Joining Gen Z protesters and confronting the police are not what one might expect of the middle-aged scion of India's most illustrious political dynasty. But for Rahul Gandhi, they could be the opportunity of a lifetime.

For years, Mr. Gandhi has struggled to find his footing in the treacherously shifting sands of Indian politics. Even as head of the largest opposition party, he has had difficulty being seen as more than just the great-grandson of India's first prime minister and the grandson and son of two others.

At 56, he may have found his moment by rising to oppose the strongman-style politics of the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, and stand with the youth movement that has taken to the streets against what its leaders see as a threat to the world's largest democracy.

Mr. Gandhi has long warned Indians that their rights were being dismantled. His message caught fire over the summer, after leaks of questions for a college-entrance exam resulted in its cancellation, igniting massive student protests that led to the resignation of India's education minister. Weeks later Mr. Gandhi claimed further vindication after the deletion of 130 million names from registration records again fueled national outrage and demands for the removal of India's chief election commissioner.

Neerja Chowdhury, an author and political commentator, said people are more receptive to his message because "dissatisfaction with the government is growing, there's fatigue, there's no new energy," on top of which Mr. Modi tends to come down with a heavy hand.

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