Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday declared that the party’s agitation over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan steps down.
Addressing reporters after returning to his residence in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Dipke claimed the protest organised under the CJP banner at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday had drawn significant participation.
''The protest we staged (at Jantar Mantar) was successful, as 6,000 to 7,000 people attended it. This agitation will go nationwide. We won't step back till Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,'' Dipke said.
The youth-led online movement, which has been demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests, including NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC exams, plans to intensify its campaign across the country.
"We will roll out a further action plan to take this agitation nationwide," Dipke added.
Dipke arrived at his residence in the MIDC Waluj area on Sunday morning and was welcomed by family members amid heightened security. Police said deployment at his residence had been increased.
"We have increased the security at his residence from today. Earlier, 11 security personnel were deployed, now the number has reached 15. The deployed staff is from the local police station as well as the city police headquarters,'' an official from the MIDC Waluj police station said.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar demanding Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests.
Dipke, who arrived in Delhi from the United States earlier in the day carrying a copy of B R Ambedkar’s autobiography, addressed the gathering after securing police permission for the protest.
Participants carried placards seeking the minister’s resignation and wore cockroach masks distributed at the venue. Protesters also raised slogans against what they described as “Hindu-Muslim” politics and shouted “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
At a press conference in the capital, CJP spokespersons said they would wait a week for the Centre to either sack Pradhan or for the minister to resign voluntarily, failing which the agitation would be expanded nationwide.
The CJP, which emerged as an online campaign in May and claims over 22 million Instagram followers, had mobilised youth for the Delhi protest as a show of strength on the issue.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI leader Annie Raja and activists from Left student and youth organisations also attended the protest.
(With inputs from PTI)
