CJP also announced ‘Kya Bolti Public’ campaign- planned for September, where they plan to travel across states, engage directly with citizens and work at the grassroots level on issues such as unemployment and education, with the aim of changing the political discourse.
“Unemployment is a major problem. We will make it a nationwide issue,” Dipke said after the CJP core team meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He also said the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was the “biggest achievement” of the students’ agitation and stressed that the Jantar Mantar protest had brought together not just students but also jobless youngsters. as its next course of action after a two-day strategy meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
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Chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the CJP wanted its protest to serve as a platform for citizens to make their voices heard by the government, while reiterating that the movement had always described itself as “leaderless”. “We are starting a membership drive. Students, young professionals and citizens — join us and let’s strengthen our voice,” Das said, directing people to the CJP website. He also clarified that the organisation was not running any crowdfunding campaign. Addressing questions over whether the CJP would eventually become a political party, Das said the group had decided to remain a public pressure group for now. “Instead of focusing our energy on becoming a political party, we want to work at the grassroots level for accountability and start reforms,” he said.
Meanwhile, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka announced a national team with CJP convenor-founder Dipke, 30, and co-conveners Ashutosh Ranka, 30, and Das, 27, were named as part of the organisation’s national leadership.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also said environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk will continue to be a mentor to the movement.When asked about the Jharkhand issue, CJP said it stands with the protesting students and a delegation will reach Ranchi soon to meet them and urge the Jharkhand government to accept their demands.
“Whether it is the political system, the judiciary, the media, or the Election Commission, the reality is that people have lost faith in all these institutions. We believe that, to restore accountability and neutrality in these institutions, a public movement and public pressure are needed. The political system today, in my opinion, is in a very bad state,” Dipke added during a press conference.
The announcement comes as the CJP leadership discusses how to expand its movement following its Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi, which drew students and youth from across the country over alleged competitive examination paper leaks and other irregularities.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had said the organisation’s two-day core team meeting would review the Jantar Mantar agitation, discuss its expansion and chart its future roadmap. He had also ruled out, for now, converting the group into a conventional political party.
On Wednesday, Dipke said the CJP would instead function as a “pressure group” to push for accountability and neutrality in institutions including the political system, judiciary, media and Election Commission.
“For now, CJP will be a pressure group because what India needs right now is a pressure group,” Dipke said.
The organization has lent its support to students protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand and is contemplating extending its support for similar campaigns in other places.
Meanwhile, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said environmentalist and education activist Sonam Wangchuk would continue to be the movement’s mentor and that the group would seek his advice. The CJP also said it was pursuing the withdrawal of FIRs against students involved in its recent protests and was working to provide legal and medical assistance to protesters injured during agitations.
CJP’s Jantar Mantar protest
The youth-led CJP protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi concluded on July 25. Thousands of student activists, joined by Wangchuk during his 26-day hunger strike, mobilised to express public anger over the alleged widespread competitive examination paper leaks. The agitation had also demanded reforms and the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The movement, which received an enthusiastic response from Gen Z across the country, led to Pradhan’s resignation.
The CJP’s movement spread across various cities in the country, but demonstrations turned violent, with the police cracking down on student agitators in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and in Bihar, registering cases against them.
CJP hailed the resignation as a victory for student-led activism. Dipke claimed that the incident showed that consistent pressure can lead to political accountability, with the organization describing it as a victory for “the power of students”.
