Besides demanding the education minister's resignation, the CJP protesters also raised slogans demanding that the BJP stop indulging in "Hindu-Muslim" politics
CJP Protesters demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation at Jantar Mandir
New Delhi: Hundreds of protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests.
The protest was led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who arrived in the capital from the United States and addressed the gathering. Protesters carried placards, wore masks and raised slogans, while police maintained security at the venue.
At a press conference later, CJP spokespersons said they would wait for a week for the Centre to act on their demand, failing which a nationwide protest would be launched.
“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? Tell them, we are not scared,” Dipke said.
“My friends, this is a long struggle. It has been a month since we started demanding Pradhan's resignation on social media, but these individuals are so shameless that instead of taking action, they have been focussed on other distractions, like hacking our accounts and getting our posts deleted. You may be able to delete our posts, but you cannot erase us from this space,” he said.
The demonstration saw participation from activists and leaders, including Sonam Wangchuk, Dipankar Bhattacharya and Annie Raja.
Wangchuk said he was impressed with the peaceful nature of the protest and appreciated that permission had been granted for it.
“I hope that even in the future, it will allow such creative expressions,” he said.
According to organisers, the turnout exceeded expectations, with participation largely from students and young professionals. Protesters also carried copies of the Constitution and the national flag.
At the press meet, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, “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.”
The protest concluded around 3.30 pm after Dipke reported feeling unwell. The CJP said the movement would continue as a peaceful campaign seeking accountability in examinations including NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle with agency inputs )
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