New Delhi [India], July 22 – Pressure on India’s government intensified on Wednesday as thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) remained on the streets of Delhi, defying heavy overnight rain and a police crackdown a day earlier while opposition leaders escalated demands for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The youth-led movement has continued its round-the-clock sit-in at Jantar Mantar, where protesters are demanding education reforms and Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We will not leave Jantar Mantar until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protests gathered fresh political support after leaders of the opposition Congress party marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Tuesday, condemning Monday’s police action against demonstrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi led a march towards Modi’s residence demanding the resignations of Pradhan, Home Minister Amit Shah who oversees the Delhi Police and Prime Minister Modi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Congress shared videos showing senior leader Rahul Gandhi and other party MPs being detained and taken away in buses during the protest. They were later released. Leaders from several opposition parties have also condemned the Delhi Police action and joined calls for accountability and the resignation of Pradhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protests and the use of force by police have also dominated proceedings in Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session <\/p>\n\n\n\n
with opposition parties repeatedly pressing the government over the NEET paper leak and demanding Pradhan’s resignation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in central Delhi after the CJP called for a march to Parliament at the start of the monsoon session. Police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, leaving at least 60 people injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police also dismantled the protest stage and makeshift tents at Jantar Mantar, the movement’s main protest site. Demonstrators, however refused to leave and have continued their sit-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, the protesters were visited by several senior opposition leaders including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and veteran politician Sharad Pawar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his first public remarks since Monday’s violence, Pradhan accused the Congress of “shamelessly exploiting students as political tools.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Even after government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion, the Congress chose political spectacle over democratic debate. Their objective was never solutions for students, it was disruption for political headlines,” he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pradhan did not directly refer to the CJP protests but added: “We owe our students more than outrage. We owe them answers, reforms and accountability. That is exactly what our government remains committed to delivering.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CJP has not responded publicly to Pradhan’s remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The movement began as a satirical campaign inspired by comments made earlier this year by India’s chief justice who used the word “cockroach” while referring to unemployed young people entering journalism and activism. After criticism, he said the remarks were directed only at those with “fake and bogus degrees.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the CJP is not a registered political party, the movement has drawn tens of thousands of supporters over the past month. It gained wider attention after activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and began an indefinite hunger strike. He was removed from the protest site by police on Saturday and taken to hospital, where he continues his fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support for the movement has also spread beyond Delhi, with demonstrations reported in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. Videos circulating on social media also showed members of the Indian diaspora holding solidarity protests in cities including London, Washington DC and Norway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi [India], July 22 – Pressure on India’s government intensified on Wednesday as thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) remained on the streets of Delhi, defying heavy overnight rain and a police crackdown a day earlier while opposition leaders escalated demands for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The youth-led […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking","category-international"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n