Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday warned of protests across multiple states and cities if Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan fails to resign by June 13 over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests.
In a video posted on X, Dipke said the agitation would intensify if the minister continued in office.
“Earlier I said that if Dharmendra Pradhan does not resign till Saturday (June 13), the agitation will go on a wider scale. Going in that direction, if Pradhan won't resign, I will personally go to different cities and states and undertake protests with a demand for his resignation,” he said.
He also outlined plans for a renewed protest in the national capital if demonstrations in states fail to yield results.
“If Dharmendra Pradhan doesn't resign even after protests in states, we will not have any option but to agitate again. Students from various corners of the country will then come together in New Delhi and agitate peacefully.”
“We will not stop till Pradhan resigns. He should take moral responsibility for ruining the future of over one crore students,” Dipke said.
Responding to comparisons with recent Gen Z-led protests in Nepal and Bangladesh, Dipke maintained that the CJP movement has remained peaceful and should not be equated with demonstrations in neighbouring countries.
“I don't want to compare (the agitation) with neighbouring countries because here (in India) there is a system. But a narrative is going on to compare with what has happened in Bangladesh and Nepal. They also say that we want to wreak havoc in the country,” he said at a press conference here.
“Those who compare our movement with the ones that occurred in neighbouring countries should know that the Jantar Mantar agitation was very peaceful, though it was crowded. Youths who attended the agitation came from all corners of the country. Henceforth, even bigger protests will take place, and they will also be peaceful,” he added.
The CJP, launched as an online satirical campaign in May, recently held a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding Pradhan’s resignation over alleged paper leak cases. Protesters wore cockroach masks and carried placards, while also raising slogans against “Hindu-Muslim” politics and chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai.”
(With inputs from PTI)