Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 7: Hundreds of people gathered at the Jantar Mantar on Saturday to participate in a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in several entrance and recruitment examinations.
Addressing protesters, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who travelled from the United States to attend the demonstration, said the youth of the country were no longer willing to live in fear.
Dipke said his mother had been more worried about his return to India than when he left for the US, fearing that he might be arrested upon arrival because of his activism. He had earlier expressed concerns that launching the CJP and returning to India could result in legal action against him.
“This is not just the fear of my mother, this is the fear of the parents of any youngster who speaks on politics. How long will we live in fear? We are not scared,” he told the gathering.
He also said that moments before landing in Delhi on Saturday morning, he felt as though he was experiencing his last moments of freedom and had mentally prepared himself for a possible arrest.
However, no action was taken against him, and the police granted permission for the protest to proceed.
Meanwhile, without directly referring to the protest or the CJP, Nitin Nabin took an apparent swipe at the movement while speaking in Ranchi. He said some individuals based abroad believed they could dictate the direction of India's youth.
“Today's youth want to contribute to nation-building and secure their future. Some forces are trying to make the country's youth anti-establishment,” he said.
Nabin also warned against attempts to push young people towards what he described as negative politics, asserting that Indian youth would continue to choose positive and constructive engagement.
While acknowledging the democratic right to protest, he said opposition must remain within constitutional and democratic norms.
Referring to anti-establishment campaigns witnessed in neighbouring countries, Nabin said such movements could not represent the aspirations of India's youth, who he claimed would continue to work in a disciplined manner for national development.
After several hours of sloganeering under the summer heat in the national capital, organisers concluded the protest but issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Centre.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the government had one week to act.
“We are giving the government seven days. Either Dharmendra Pradhan should resign respectfully or Prime Minister Narendra Modi should remove him. If no resignation comes within seven days, this movement will spread across the country,” Ranka said.
He added that the protest marked the beginning of a broader campaign to reform the country's education system and address concerns over examination irregularities.