A day after leading a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the education system, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed the demonstration had sent a strong message to the government, warned of an intensified agitation if Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is not removed or does not step down within the next seven days, and said that the protest “doesn’t end here.”
In a statement issued after the protest, Dipke thanked those who participated, describing the gathering as a “historic” and peaceful movement, and said many attendees were first-time protesters who joined to voice their frustration with the education system.
Also read | Cockroach Janta Party draws BJP chief’s ‘puppet’ jibe after first offline protest in Delhi
“But this doesn’t end here. Dharmendra Pradhan has wronged an entire generation. If he is not removed or does not step down within the next 7 days, we will be forced to continue our protest on the ground. I will address you all on an Instagram live later today. Stay tuned,” Dipke said.
CJP protest to go nationwide?
After hours of sloganeering in punishing Delhi summers on Saturday, the protest was called off during the later half of the day, only for the organisers to give a one-week ultimatum to the government to either sack Dharmendra Pradhan or he gives voluntary resignation or the protest will extend nationwide.
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“We are giving the government seven days. Either Dharmendra Pradhan should resign respectfully or Prime Minister Narendra Modi should sack him. If his resignation does not come within seven days, this movement will spread throughout the country,” said CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.
“The time has come to reset our education system and we have started that reset today,” he added.
Also read | Why CJP chose the Jantar Mantar as its protest site: A history of the 18th-century stone observatory
BJP chief takes a ‘puppets’ dig
“Some people sitting abroad think that they will dictate the direction to India’s youth,” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Nabin said on Saturday, hours after a large crowd gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest against recent exam lapses under the banner of Cockroach Janta Party.
The BJP chief said that while the youth “wants to work towards building of the nation and secure their future”, some people have “labeled this country’s youth as anti-establishment”.
The BJP shared a video clip of the speech on its official X handle. “Some people, sitting abroad, think that they will dictate the direction to India’s youth. But India’s youth will not move forward as puppets in the hands of a few people,” Nabin said.
CJP: Formed due to CJI Kant’s remarks
The CJP began as an online campaign as a result of an outrage against Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s remarks. Within few weeks, the outfit garnered over 22 million followers on Instagram.
The group has now warned of bigger protests if no action is taken within seven days.
“This is the beginning of a movement. If no action is taken within seven days, this movement will spread across the country,” the statement read.
