Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke led a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
A day after the social-media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged its first major ground demonstration in Delhi, the youth pressure group’s founder Abhijeet Dipke Sunday reiterated a strict seven-day ‘ultimatum’ demanding the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Thanking supporters for gathering at Jantar Mantar despite Saturday’s blistering summer heat, Dipke, who flew back to India just minutes before the protest began, warned that a wave of relentless demonstrations would follow if the minister does not step down.
“Yesterday, thousands of us made history. Our peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar showed the government a trailer of what cockroaches are capable of when we unite,” Dipke wrote in a post on X.
https://platform.x.com/widgets.js
“Most people who joined us yesterday had never participated in a protest before. But they felt emboldened by our collective presence to express their sheer anger and frustration at the education system. Change cannot happen if we don’t make our voices heard,” he added.
“I want to thank each and every one of you who braved the hot summer sun, young kids and students included, and proved that a peaceful protest is our greatest strength. The government cannot touch a unified, peaceful movement. Us cockroaches don’t ever need to fear them,” Dipke said.
“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,” he added.
Minister Pradhan has been under fire for a series of recent controversies, including the leak of NEET-UG questions and the chaos and confusion surrounding the on-screen marking system used in CBSE’s Class 12 exam.
Story continues below this ad
Dipke, who hails from Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (earlier Aurangabad), is understood to be planning similar protests, possibly on a weekly basis, till Pradhan either steps down on his own or is removed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sources from the group said a structured plan regarding the way forward was likely to be chalked out over the coming days, and the broad contours of this would be announced by Dipke later on Sunday.