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New Delhi: The protest movement by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) started with its campus meeting on Thursday at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus in Pune. The movement is calling for a major reform in the education system, and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on allegations of malicious application of rules in exams, recruitment procedures, etc.
Well, around 100 students, young people, and many of the CJP supporters came out to the university campus to participate in the protest. Organicists carried banners and placards and chanted slogans against paper leaks, delayed results, and lack of transparency in competitive examinations. Throughout the day, more and more supporters flocked to the venue, adding to the crowds.
Abhijeet Dipke spearheaded the protest, stating that it would be peaceful and would use constitutional means. In the event, CJP announced its education manifesto, which includes a few proposals for providing protection to students affected by the failure of examinations and paper leaks. The group called for reforms to put the system of examinations on the country on the right track.
Sonam Wangchuk came out to join the student protest, and Lakhi Pakhui, an education and climate activist, delivered a message of support to the students. He commended the peaceful character of the demonstration and called for education and the future of the young people to be accorded due importance in the eyes of the government. Students’ concerns should be paid heed for by policy makers, Wangchuk said.
Initially a youth-led online movement, the Cockroach Janta Party has quickly made headlines throughout social media sites. According to the group, it embodies students’ and jobless youths’ grievances on grades’ leakage, delay in recruiting, educational pressure, etc.
At the Pune assembly, Dipke reiterated the call of the group for accountability in the education system and appealed to younger generations in the country to join in the campaign. CJP also said it was planning more protests in other cities, such as Lucknow, and asked members to join a larger protest in New Delhi on June 20.
This protest in Pune is the first to be part of a campaign that CJP says represents a new mass education reform campaign throughout the country. The movement will gain momentum as it rolls out to more cities, and is hoped to help raise the voices of young students and young job seekers in India.
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